TEHRAN – Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is set to visit Pakistan on Thursday, a trip aimed to step up diplomatic contacts with Asian countries.

Zarif is scheduled to meet his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi and other senior Pakistani officials in Islamabad, Tasnim reported.

According to reports, his meetings will focus on Tehran-Islamabad ties, plans to carry out the most recent agreements reached between Iran and Pakistan, and the latest regional and international developments.

In April, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan paid a historic visit to Iran, while accompanied by a big delegation, to sign agreements with Tehran.

President Hassan Rouhani said in a joint press conference that the two countries are resolved to expand relations, stressing that no third party could ever disrupt the brotherly and friendly ties between the two nations.

Rouhani said Iran is ready to fulfill Pakistan’s demands for oil and gas and voiced the country’s readiness for a 10-fold increase in the export of electricity to Pakistan.

Imran Khan, for his part, welcomed the Iranian government’s announcement of the release of a number of Pakistani inmates and the adoption of measures for their immediate extradition.

The two sides required their respective ministries to use their capacity to put in place all necessary mechanisms to maximize monetary, financial, and commercial activities.

MH/PA