Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Friday assured his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif of Pakistan's continued reconciliatory efforts for ensuring peace and de-escalation of tension between Washington and Tehran. The Iranian foreign minister as part of his regional outreach arrived here on Thursday night and held meetings with Prime Minister Imran Khan, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser and Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Friday.
The focus of the discussions with top civil and military leadership of Pakistan, as tweeted by the visiting Iranian foreign minister, was regional security, growth, connectivity and the cooperation between the two ports - Gwadar of Pakistan and Chabahar of Iran.
"After visiting Iran's oceanic port of Chabahar, important talks in Pakistan with PM Imran Khan, Army Chief Bajwa, FM Qureshi & Speaker Asad Qaiser...Focus: Regional security, growth, connectivity & complementarity of key nodal points Chabahar/Gwadar," Foreign Minister Zarif stated in a tweet after holding the talks. In Foreign Office, the visiting Iranian foreign minister held delegation level talks with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in which the two sides exchanged views on bilateral relations, issues of mutual interest and the regional security.
In a statement, the Foreign Office said that Foreign Minister Qureshi exchanged views with Foreign Minister Zarif on recent tensions, undermining peace and stability in the region. Important issues related to bilateral relations were also discussed. It stated that views were exchanged on promotion of bilateral trade, facilitation of the people-to-people contacts and movements, opening of the new border crossing points, establishment of new border markets and enhancing security along Pakistan-Iran border.
It further stated that views were also exchanged on important regional issues including recent developments concerning peace process in Afghanistan. The foreign minister expressed concern over rising tension, threatening the stability of an already volatile region. "He [Qureshi] underscored that any miscalculation or accident could escalate the tensions to a dangerous level," Qureshi was quoted as having said.
Qureshi also emphasised that Pakistan does not favour a conflict and believes that all sides should exercise maximum restraint and work in a spirit of easing the tensions. He also stressed that disputes should be resolved within the framework of international law and through dialogue and diplomatic means.
Underscoring the utility of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Foreign Minister Qureshi stated that the agreement was a good example of negotiated settlement of complex issues through diplomatic means. He added that Pakistan supported the JCPOA and noted the efforts of the other parties to the agreement to salvage the deal. "Faithful implementation of obligations by all parties is vitally important," Qureshi further asserted.
It further stated that Foreign Minister Qureshi conveyed that Pakistan stands ready to work with all sides to help lower the tension and preserve peace and stability in the region.
Expressing satisfaction over implementation on the decisions made during Prime Minister Imran Khan's recent visit to Iran, the two sides agreed to continue cooperation on bilateral matters.
Foreign Minister Qureshi also hosted an Iftar dinner in honour of the visiting Iranian foreign minister and his delegation at the Foreign Office.
According to the media office of the PM House, Foreign Minister Zarif also called on Prime Minister Imran Khan. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood and other senior officials of the PM House and Foreign Office were also present in the meeting.
"The two sides exchanged views on the bilateral relations between Pakistan and Iran during the meeting," the PM House stated in a brief statement.
Earlier, according to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Foreign Minister of Iran Javed Zarif also called on Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the General Headquarters (GHQ).
During the meeting, the matters of mutual interest and evolving situation in the region were discussed. "The CoAS said that war is not in anyone's interest and all sides need to make efforts to keep conflict away from the region," the ISPR stated. The foreign minister appreciated Pakistan's positive role for regional peace and stability, it added.
Foreign Minister Zarif also called on Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser in the Parliament House. The meeting was held in cordial atmosphere where ways and means to further intensify Pak-Iran bilateral relations, besides forging unity amongst the Muslim Ummah, were discussed, said the office of the speaker.
It stated that the speaker welcomed the Iranian foreign minister and underlined the importance the people and government of Pakistan attach to the longstanding brotherly relations between the two countries.
The speaker expressed his deep concern over the recent tension in the Gulf region which posed a treat to the regional peace and stability. He said that all sides need to exercise restraint and a solution may be found for amicable resolution within the framework of international law.
He reiterated the support of the government of Pakistan for Joint Comprehensive Plan, which represents an excellent example of negotiated settlement of complex issues through diplomacy and dialogue. Referring to his interaction with his Iranian counterpart Dr Ali Larajani, the speaker said that there was a broader consensus on strengthening Pakistan-Iran relations through enhancing parliamentary interaction and cooperation.
The speaker also spoke about the ongoing cooperation between Iran and Pakistan in diverse sectors. He said that immense economic potential exists on both sides which needs to be utilised for mutual benefit. He also expressed his satisfaction on the cooperation between law enforcement of both the countries which has substantially resulted in decrease in insurgency along both sides of the borders. He said that the military operation would continue till terrorism is exterminated from the Pakistani soil.
The Iranian foreign minister thanked the speaker for his sentiments and said that Iran has special affection for their Pakistani brethren and strongly believes in the need for further strengthening of these relations.
He said that continuous interaction between the political and parliamentary leadership of both the countries would help further cement Pak-Iran relations. He also briefed the speaker about the role foreign countries are playing in implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan.
He said that Iran would exercise restraint, however, it would not allow anyone to wage economic war against it. Foreign Minister Zarif was confident that concerted efforts by all concerned would lead to a peaceful resolution of the ongoing crisis.
The Iranian foreign minister agreed that Muslim leaders should play their role for bringing Ummah on same page to counter common threats and challenges. He thanked for diplomatic support of Pakistan extended to Iran, regionally and internationally.
AP adds: Iran's foreign minister lashed out at President Donald Trump on Friday during a critically timed visit to Pakistan amid a simmering crisis between Tehran and Washington and ahead of next week's emergency Arab League meeting called by Saudi Arabia over the region's tensions.
The remarks by Mohammad Javad Zarif were the latest in a war of words between him and Trump. The Iranian diplomat on Friday assailed the American president for his tweet earlier this week warning Iran not to threaten the US.again or it would face its "official end." "Iran will see the end of Trump, but he will never see the end of Iran," Zarif was quoted by Iran's semi-official Fars new agency as saying during a visit to Islamabad.
Tensions have ratcheted up recently in the Mideast as the White House earlier this month sent an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the region over a still-unexplained threat it perceived from Iran. And on Thursday, the Pentagon outlined proposals to the White House to send military reinforcements to the Middle East to beef up defenses against Iran.
The purpose of Zarif's visit to Pakistan, where he held talks with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi and also Prime Minister Imran Khan, was not made public.
But there has been speculation that Iran is looking to Islamabad and its close relationship with Riyadh to help de-escalate the situation. Ahead of Zarif's arrival, Pakistan's foreign ministry called on "all sides to show restraint, as any miscalculated move, can transmute into a large-scale conflict."
Zarif has been criticized this week by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who named him and President Hassan Rouhani as failing to implement the leader's orders over Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Khamenei had claimed the deal had "numerous ambiguities and structural weaknesses" that could damage Iran.
Separately, the official Iranian news agency IRNA quoted Zarif in Islamabad as warning of anarchy if world powers don't unite to stop what he called US aggression - Iran's official parlance for Washington's pressure on Tehran.
The crisis takes root in the steady unraveling of the nuclear deal, intended to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. The accord promised economic incentives in exchange for restrictions on Tehran's nuclear activities.
The Trump administration pulled America out of the deal last year, and subsequently re-imposed and escalated US sanctions on Tehran - sending Iran's economy into freefall.
Khamenei's criticism of Zarif signaled a hard-line tilt in how the Islamic Republic will react going forward amid President Donald Trump's maximalist pressure campaign.
Iran declared earlier this month that the remaining signatories to the deal - Germany, France, Britain, China and Russia - have two months to develop a plan to shield Iran from American sanctions.
On Monday, Iran announced it had quadrupled its production capacity of low-enriched uranium, making it likely that Tehran will soon exceed the stockpile limitations set by the nuclear accord, which would escalate the situation further. Several incidents have added to the crisis.
On Thursday, Saudi Arabia said Yemen's Iran-aligned rebels again targeted an airport near its southern border with a bomb-carrying drone. The Saudi military said it intercepted the drone, while the rebel Houthis said it struck a Patriot missile battery at the airport. The Houthis have claimed three times in recent days to have targeted the airport, which also hosts a military base. It comes after the Houthis last week targeted a Saudi oil pipeline in a coordinated drone attack.
With neighbouring Iran, Pakistan walks a fine line and their relationship is sometimes prickly. Islamabad has little leverage with Washington, although relations between the two have improved since Pakistan expressed readiness to help move talks between the Afghan Taliban and Washington forward.
IRNA also reported that Zarif came to Pakistan with a proposal to link Iran's port of Chabahar on the Arabian Sea with Pakistan's Gwadar port, mostly being developed by China as part of the multi-billion-dollar One Road project that will connect the Arabian Sea with China.
The proposal is unexpected because Pakistan's rival India has been Iran's partner in developing Chabahar while Iran's key regional rival, Saudi Arabia, has been in talks to develop an oil refinery facility at Pakistan's Gwadar, though no agreements have been signed.
Meanwhile, Oman's Foreign Ministry said it was working to "ease the tensions" between Iran and the US. The ministry in a series of tweets on Friday morning attributed the comments to Yusuf bin Alawi, the sultanate's minister of state for foreign affairs, and cited an interview in Asharq Al-Wasat, the London-based newspaper owned by a Saudi media group long associated with the Al Saud royal family.
In the interview, bin Alawi warns war "could harm the entire world if it breaks out." He doesn't confirm any current Omani mediation but says both the US and Iran realize the gravity of the situation. Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said spoke last week by telephone with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Oman, a nation on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, has long been an interlocutor of the West with Iran. The U.S. held secret talks in Oman with the Iranians that gave birth to the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
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