PM’s visit to Iran a success: minister

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi has said Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Iran was positive as he and the Iranian leadership have overcome their communication gap through some candid talks.

He was speaking at a seminar on ‘Pakistan – Iran Relation: Challenges and Prospects’, organised by Islamabad Policy Institute (IPI). The discussion was held in the context of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s recent trip to Tehran.

The federal minister, while pointing out that several countries have continued trading with Iran despite sanctions, said, “We too need to keep our interest supreme and explore ways for completing gas pipeline.”

Zaidi noted that absence of banking channels had been a major hindrance in development of ties, therefore a barter mechanism was under discussion for promoting bilateral trade. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Senator Mushahid Hussain, while presiding over the session, said the two neighbouring countries enjoyed convergences in geography and culture with Allama Iqbal being the cementing factor. “There is no incompatibility of interest on core issues,” he underscored.

However, he observed, there were concerns, mostly in security domain, which were being addressed through an ongoing and sustained security dialogue.