TEHRAN – In a meeting in Tehran on Monday, Iran and Pakistan, while expressing willingness to expand cooperation, highlighted the importance of enhancing scientific relations.

A delegation of Pakistani academic members headed by Mukhtar Ahmed, chairman of Pakistan's higher education commission, visited Iran's House of Innovation and Technology (iHiT) on Monday, January 15.

“Iran is ready to cooperate with Pakistan in technological fields. Information and communication technology, agriculture, and health are among the fields in which the two countries can boost cooperation,” ISNA quoted Amir-Hossein Mir-Abadi, an official with the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology, as saying.

Ahmed, for his part, said that Iran and Pakistan are confronting similar problems and challenges; these common issues can lay the basis for boosting mutual relations and cooperation. “Pakistan is interested in cooperating and interacting with Iran in scientific and technological fields.”

The Pakistani official went on to say that the sanctions have made Iran more successful in scientific fields.

Exchanging academic staff including professors and students and conducting joint projects can be among other options of cooperation between Iran and Pakistan, he added.

Talking about setting up national pavilions in different countries, Ahmed said Pakistan is ready to hold Iranian pavilions, too.

He hoped that the bilateral cooperation would be extended into regional cooperation including other countries such as India and Bangladesh.

Sharing technological expertise with Islamic nations

In May 2023, the deputy science minister said Iran is ready to share its technological expertise with other Islamic countries.

Science and technology should be applied in order to create world peace and human justice, and Muslim countries can bring peace and progress not only to the Muslim nations but also to human beings with unity and empathy, Vahid Haddadi-Asl said, IRNA reported.

He made the remarks at the 1st Ministerial Meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Dialogue Platform (OIC-15) which was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan on May 25-26.

“Over the past years, despite the cruel sanctions imposed by the global arrogance against the Islamic Republic of Iran, we have seen significant progress in the fields of education, research, and technology, which is a sign of reliance on Iranian scholars and scientists. We are always ready to share our technological expertise with other Islamic countries.”

The Islamic Republic of Iran considers it its duty to support science and technology diplomacy between Islamic countries, through conducting joint scientific projects in areas needed by Islamic countries, he highlighted.

The goal can be achieved through creating innovation zones and a union of science and technology parks of Islamic countries, activating the union of universities of Islamic countries, and also exchanging of professors and students, the official noted.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation is the second largest organization after the United Nations with a membership of 57 states spread over four continents.

The Organization is the collective voice of the Muslim world. It endeavors to safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony among various people of the world.

The Organization was established upon a decision of the historical summit which took place in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco on 25 September 1969.

MT/MG