Iranian foreign minister arrives on two-day visit

ISLAMABAD: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Thursday arrived here on a two-day official visit. Zarif is the first top foreign diplomat to visit Pakistan after the new government led by Prime Minister Imran Khan came into power earlier this month, the Foreign Ministry said.

He is scheduled to meet with Imran Khan, Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Soon after his arrival, Zarif had a meeting with the National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser. According to a statement issued from the speaker's office, Qaiser told the Iranian foreign minister that the two countries had decades-old close relations, which should be strengthened further.

Qaiser said close relations between the two sides were vital for development, prosperity and peace in the region, adding that they should further cooperate in the fields of trade, investment and energy.

Zarif appreciated Pakistan's sacrifices and successes in the war against terrorism and extremism, saying Iran was Pakistan’s close partner in its efforts to establish peace.