Foreign Minister of Iran Dr Ali Akbar Salehi called on President Asif Ali Zardari at Bilawal House here on Friday and extended invitation to the President to participate in the 16th NAM Summit to be held in Tehran in August 2012. Dr Ali Akbar Salehi was accompanied by Iranian Ambassador Alireza Haghighian, Ahmed Sobhani, Abbasali Abdullahi, and other officials.
Sindh Education Minister Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq, Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani and Additional Secretary Foreign Affairs Asif Durrani were also present during the meeting. Pak-Iran bilateral relations, mutual co-operation and the issues of shared concern were discussed besides the upcoming NAM Summit.
The President thanked the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for extending invitation to him and said that the NAM Summit was an important platform for exchanging views on important issues of mutual concern. He expressed the hope that the Summit would be fruitful in deliberating on regional as well as international issues and challenges and the way forward in dealing with them. He also felicitated Iranian leadership for taking over the chairmanship of NAM. Discussing bilateral relations, the President expressed satisfaction over the upward trajectory being followed by Pak-Iran equation.
He said that Pakistan desired giving a new impetus to its brotherly relations with Iran which were rooted in commonalities of history, culture and religious affinities. President Zardari said that the visit of President Ahmadinejad for Trilateral Summit has provided an impetus to the existing relationship and further extending mutual co-operation in the economic sphere, energy, trade and investment and road and rail connectivity.
The President emphasised upon the need for the two countries to take effective measures so as to realise US $10 billion trade target within the stipulated period. He said that preferential tariff and free trade agreements, encouraging barter trade in local currencies, facilitating export of meat and fruits besides wheat and rice from Pakistan were some of the important measures to boost mutual trade and further strengthen the economic interactions.
President Zardari also said that Pakistan was ready to grant multiple entry visas to the businessmen from Iran on reciprocal basis. On mega projects, the President said that Pakistan was committed to expeditious implementation of the mega projects that include Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline Projects; Electricity Projects, Construction of Nushki-Dalbandin Road and the up-gradation of the Quetta-Taftan railway track.
The President also said that there was a need for the two countries to put in place effective arrangements in order to avoid untoward incidents on the borders. He called for better co-ordination of the border control authorities from both the sides.
Discussing regional situation and common challenges, the President said that terrorism and extremism was a common threat and needs to be confronted with joint efforts. He said that being immediate neighbours of Afghanistan, the two countries have a great role to play in promoting stability, peace and development in Afghanistan.
The President reiterated his call that regional issues need regional solutions. He said that Pakistan believes that the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the states should be respected. Foreign Minister Dr Ali Akbar Salehi thanked the President for meeting and said Iran looks forward to the participation of the President in NAM Summit as Pakistan was an important regional player and has played an important role in shaping, articulating NAM policies on a number of global issues.