TEHRAN- Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that he will discuss border security with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian, who will soon pay a visit to Islamabad.

Zardari reassured that Iran and Pakistan will boost their security and border cooperation.

“Both countries want stable security on the common borders and I will follow this issue in the negotiations with my Iranian counterpart,” the Pakistani foreign minister said in an interview with Iran’s state news agency IRNA.

He said that during the recent visit of the Pakistan Army Commander to the Islamic Republic of Iran, the two sides held constructive talks on border security. Although the security challenge continues, Tehran and Islamabad are determined to continue cooperation to improve the situation, Zardari continued. 

He also pointed out that Tehran and Islamabad have a special and realistic understanding of regional peace and stability, including the situation in Afghanistan. “We are two neighbors directly affected by the crises in Afghanistan caused by terrorism, refugees and drug trafficking. Therefore, we believe that in order to address these challenges, there is a need to interact with the governing body of Afghanistan. We can have this interaction with Kabul and this process is also important from the point of view of Tehran and Islamabad,” he said. 

Amir Abdollahian will arrive in Pakistan soon for talks on a variety of issues. Zardari said a wide range of bilateral relations between Iran and Pakistan will be discussed during this visit, and several cooperation agreements will be signed. 

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy Mehdi Safari has already traveled to Pakistan ahead of Amir Abdollian’s visit. 

The economic forum between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan with the focus on the development of bilateral economic cooperation was opened in the capital city of Islamabad with the presence of senior officials of the two countries. Safari is heading the Iranian delegation in this meeting and Deputy Finance Minister of Pakistan Samar Ihsan chaired the Pakistani delegation, according to IRNA. 

Iran's Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghadam also attended the meeting.

The most important agenda of today's meeting is to follow-up of the recent agreements in the meeting between Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the Prime Minister of Pakistan.