Use of existing communication channels will benefit Iran, Pakistan: Islamabad

January 27, 2024 - 21:51

TEHRAN- Pakistani Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has said that the employment of the existing communication channels is in the interest of both neighboring countries.

In an interview with a Pakistani media on Saturday, he informed the media of the upcoming visit of Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Iran’s Foreign Minister, to Islamabad on Monday. 

Amir Abdollahian also noted that “fortunately, Tehran and Islamabad have successfully managed recent events through bilateral and diplomatic methods.”

“Pakistan did not expect recent events to happen at its borders. However, we hope to always facilitate the future path of addressing issues between us through mutual interactions,” Iran’s top diplomat added. 

Appreciating the friendly nations for calling on Tehran and Islamabad to exercise patience and resilience, the interim Pakistani premier continued by saying that “we are very pleased that Iran and Pakistan have been able to manage recent events bilaterally and diplomatically.”

Kakar further said that “the Iranian Foreign Minister will pay a visit to Pakistan in the coming days, so we believe that the use of existing channels between the two countries will benefit both sides.”

Kakar reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to its ties with Iran, describing the neighboring country as a “friend and ally.”

He underscored Pakistan's unwavering support for Iran in addressing regional and international challenges.

Kakar dismissed any notion of Islamabad engaging in activities that could jeopardize Iran's security.

The Pakistani prime minister highlighted Pakistan’s efforts to address Tehran's security concerns, noting that Islamabad has extradited several terrorist elements to Iran to strengthen the security of both countries.

Kakar expressed optimism about further bolstering security cooperation between Iran and Pakistan through enhanced communication channels to counter common threats along their shared borders.

He emphasized that Iran remains a “friendly and brotherly country” and that there are no fundamental disagreements or strategic conflicts between the two nations.

As part of recent agreements between the foreign ministries of Iran and Pakistan, the Pakistani Ambassador has arrived in Tehran to resume his duties, with the Iranian Ambassador entered Islamabad afterwards.  

Last week, the Iran and Pakistan foreign ministries issued a joint statement announcing the return of the ambassadors of the two countries to their diplomatic missions. 

Seyyed Rasoul Mousavi, the head of the South Asia Department at Iran's Foreign Ministry, announced on Friday the arrival of Pakistan's ambassador to Iran Muhammad Mudassir Tipu in Tehran. He mentioned that in a few hours, his counterpart Reza Amiri Moghaddam would also return to Pakistan.

Mousavi highlighted the satisfaction of the people and authorities in both countries regarding the return of relations to their usual positive state. He added, “In the current circumstances, the responsibility of the mass media in both countries is crucial for strengthening the friendship and brotherhood between Iran and Pakistan.”

Ties between Tehran and Islamabad seemed to experience a short period of testiness after Iran targeted two main bases of the so-called Jaish ul-Adl terrorist group in Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan and the latter responded by striking Iranian positions near the border. Islamabad said it had struck the residence of Pakistani separatists while Tehran confirmed that no Iranian national was killed during the attack.

Officials from both countries expressed respect for their neighbor’s sovereignty and said that they are willing to engage in dialogue to cooperate for a more intense fight against terrorism.  

In a post on X on Friday, Ambassador Mudassir stated that a strong Pakistan and Iran are "critical for region & to promote historic people-to-people ties".

"Time to turn a new leaf," he wrote, commenting on the significance of a peaceful relationship between Islamabad and Tehran.

In the past decade, Iran has asked that Pakistan do more to rein in the Jaish ul-Adl group which has carried out several deadly attacks on Iranian soil in the past years. In December, the terror group attacked a police station in southeastern Iran, killing 11 officers and injuring 6 others.

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