​Iran’s Rouhani makes first visit to Pakistan as president

Saturday 26 Mar 2016 - 15:51 Makkah mean time-17-6-1437

Islamabad (IINA) – Iran’s Hassan Rouhani arrived Friday in Pakistan on a landmark visit, his first since becoming president.
In a televised statement following meetings between Rouhani and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the two leaders said they wanted to forge a relationship built on economic development and shared interests. Inside the prime minister’s residence in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, the two leaders announced the signing of several memorandums of understanding in fields such as health, diplomatic training, trade and commerce. They also announced the opening of two additional border crossings between the two nations.
Speaking through an interpreter, Rouhani said Pakistan’s security was as important to Iran as its own. He said terrorism is a scourge both countries face. Rouhani’s visit is also a landmark moment for Iran, after international sanctions were lifted in the wake of the nuclear deal between the Islamic Republic and world powers. On the eve of his visit, Rouhani said that “constructive relations with neighbors and the Islamic world are at the priority list of our foreign policy. “Destabilization of others causes everlasting conflicts that benefit nobody,” he said. “I believe that at this crucial moment of the history of relations between the two countries, it is essential that Pakistan and Iran … lay the cornerstone of a new bilateral engagement based on the mutual interests of the two countries,” Rouhani added in his statement. Rouhani is also expected to discuss a gas pipeline from Iran, through Pakistan to India. Work has stalled on the Iran-Pakistan section, which was designed to help Pakistan meet its energy needs. Iran has invested over $2 billion in the project, but Pakistan has yet to finish construction on its half of the pipeline.
HA/IINA

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