Iran has offered Pakistan technical assistance in the projects of iron ore exploration as part of expansion of production plant at Pakistan Steel, Karachi.
The offer was conveyed during a meeting held on Sunday between Pakistan Steel Chairman Lieutenant General Abdul Qayyum (Retd) and Iranian Deputy Minister for Mines and Industry, Mostafa Moazenzadeh in Tehran, said a statement issued here.
In this regard, the statement said, the two countries were likely to sign an agreement, under which, Pakistan Steel engineers would get training at Isphahan Steel Industry in Iran.
During the meeting, the two sides also discussed the ways and means to further enhance their bilateral co-operation in other fields relating to steel industry, the statement added.
An experts-level Iranian delegation would visit Pakistan in the near future to identify the areas, wherein the two countries could extend technical as well financial assistance to each other pertaining to steel industry.
With the help of Iranian experts, Pakistan may become able to fulfill its domestic demand for iron ore, a commodity that is being imported from Australia, Mauritius, India and Iran at the moment.
The PS chairman informed the deputy minister that Pakistan was considering importing more iron ore from Iran provided it meets the international quality standards.
Qayyum also urged upon private steel companies operating in Iran to invest in Pakistan, claiming that the country was offering lucrative incentives and secure environment to foreign investors.
The historic religious, cultural, social and economic relations between the two countries also came under discussion during the meeting.