TEHRAN – Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf spent three days in Pakistan this week in what appears to be the latest step in the two countries’ efforts to draw closer and strengthen bilateral ties.
During his visit, Mr. Khalibaf met with senior political and military officials. Abolfazlu Amoei, Special Assistant to the Speaker of Parliament for International Affairs and the main organizer of the trip, said all the meetings had been positive and encouraging.
“Dr. Qalibaf visited Pakistan at the official invitation of the Speaker of Pakistan’s National Assembly and received an unprecedented level of welcome. The strategic goal of this visit was to leverage the close ties between the two countries to improve economic, military, cultural and security cooperation,” Amoy explained.
Iran and Pakistan have maintained friendly relations since Pakistan gained independence in 1947. Even before that, the two countries had lived side by side for centuries and had developed close cultural, religious and historical affinities.
“When two brotherly countries communicate with each other, the outcome is always mutually beneficial. During this visit, I clearly felt the deep ties and friendship that exist between the peoples of our two countries,” he added.
The recent barter agreement between Iran and Pakistan was a key topic of discussion at the Qalibaf conference. Pakistan has valuable products for Iran such as rice, corn, and meat, and in return Iran can provide important products that Pakistan needs. “We want to triple the volume of bilateral trade. That is one of our biggest goals,” Amoeei said. “But to facilitate this, we need to tackle security issues more strongly.”
Iran and Pakistan share a border spanning over 900 kilometers. Straddling its borders are terrorist groups funded and trained by foreign powers, including Israel. The two countries have so far signed important security agreements to combat cross-border terrorism, but have stopped short of completely eradicating these groups.
“Pakistani officials are also keen to rapidly develop relations and remove existing obstacles. Dr. Qalibaf promised to personally follow up on the removal of specific barriers in Iran-Pakistan relations in the coming weeks.”
In a meeting with Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir, Qalibaf mentioned important details regarding defense and security issues. Some Pakistani media even suggested that Iran was willing to join the Saudi-Pakistan strategic defense agreement signed in September.
The US-Israel war against Iran in June was also frequently discussed during the visit. Pakistanis praised Iran’s victory and expressed support for the country. Pakistan was the first and most vocal country to condemn the 12-day aggression against Iran.
In a meeting with Pakistan Parliament Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Qalibaf stressed that Iran and Pakistan have many common interests and can work together to counter the expansionist ambitions of Israel and its Western backers.
When Israel attacked Iran, Pakistan’s parliament passed a resolution condemning the attack. Khalibaf said the move reflects the deep friendship between the peoples of Iran and Pakistan.