ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Iranian Foreign Minister Muhammad Jawad Zarif has said that the Islamic Republic is determined to work with Afghanistan and Pakistan to eliminate extremism and terrorism from the region.
In a meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the Heart of Asia Conference in Islamabad on Wednesday, Zarif said that Iran and Pakistan have historical bonds which will become stronger in the future.
The Iranian foreign minister lauded Pakistan for hosting Heart of Asia Conference to ensure peace and stability in the region.
“We hope that all obstacles in the way of economic cooperation between the two countries (Pakistan and Iran) will be removed after lifting of sanctions,” he said, referring to a historic nuclear deal clinched earlier this year between Iran and major world powers which paved the way for removal of sanctions, had earlier been imposed on the Islamic Republic.
Zarif said that the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will soon visit Pakistan.
The Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also held a meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and discussed bilateral ties and regional security with especial focus on Afghanistan.
In his remarks, the prime minster said that Turkey is a time-tested friend of Pakistan ad relations between the two countries will be strengthened with the passage of time where the Turkish foreign minister was of the view that his country supported Pakistan’s efforts for reconciliation process in Afghanistan and peace in the region.
