ISLAMABAD (SW): Iranian Foreign Minister Jawad Zarif said in Islamabad on Thursday his country was hopeful about peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
Zarif said this alongside his Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz as the two briefed the press about Iranian delegation's engagements in Islamabad.
Pakistan and Iran have expressed the resolve to expand bilateral cooperation in diverse fields including economy, trade, energy and border management for peace and security in the region.
According to Pakistan’s state radio Radio Pakistan, highlighting the significance of cooperation in the energy sector, the two sides also emphasized the need for making progress on Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline project.
Later addressing a joint news conference along with the Iranian Foreign Minister, Sartaj Aziz congratulated the Iranian foreign minister on Tehran's nuclear deal with the world powers. The Advisor on Foreign Affairs said the implementation of the agreement will contribute to regional and international peace and security.
The Iranian Foreign Minister said both the countries could go ahead more expeditiously on the gas pipeline projects and in this regard the relevant ministries are in touch.
He said Pakistan has been playing responsible role in the region and all the regional countries will have to work together to fight the common challenges of terrorism, extremism and sectarianism.
Responding to a question, the Iranian Foreign Minister said his country is supportive of peace and security cooperation amongst the regional countries including Pakistan and Afghanistan.
This is Zarif's second trip to Pakistan in a span of four months which is part of a South Asia visit. He is scheduled to travel to Delhi from Islamabad.
Iran is considered to be one of the top energy sources in the world having 158 billion barrels of oil reserves. With 34 trillion cubic metres of gas, Iran has one of the world’s largest gas reserves.
According to Dawn news, Pakistan and Iran have also been working on an electricity sharing project. Iran is already providing 74MW of electricity to Pakistan’s border towns — a figure that is planned to be increased to 100MW. Transmission line for another 100MW project is under construction for providing electricity to Gwadar.
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