Zarif discusses Afghan peace with PM, COAS

By News Desk

RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Wednesday met Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership and discussed with them the Afghan peace process, border management and Pak-Iran cooperation.

Zarif was in Pakistan on a two-day visit, and held separate meetings with Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi and his counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi and, later, with Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad. During Zarif’s meeting with the Prime Minister, Khan said Pakistan and Iran enjoy close and cordial relation and the two countries must further strengthen bilateral cooperation for mutual benefit, state media said.

Khan also emphasised the need for enhanced bilateral cooperation with special emphasis on bilateral trade and economic relations. He underscored the need to work closely for promoting peace, security and development in the region.

Highlighting Pakistan’s efforts towards facilitating peace and stability in Afghanistan, the Prime Minister said there is no military solution to the Afghan conflict.

He reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process and hoped that this historic opportunity would be seized by all Afghan parties to secure a political settlement. Khan further said that that peace in Afghanistan would be beneficial for the entire region as it would create new opportunities for trade and economic cooperation as well as regional connectivity.

Earlier, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Zarif appreciated Pakistan’s positive role for regional stability, especially in the Afghan peace process and pledged to keep working for better relations between the two brotherly countries.

The Army chief said that enhanced Pakistan-Iran cooperation would have a positive impact on regional peace and stability. Matters of mutual interest, the regional security situation including Afghan reconciliation process, Pak-Iran border management and border markets were also discussed. In Zarif’s meeting with foreign minister Qureshi, multilateral issues came under discussion, including management of common borders and a strategy to control the coronavirus.

The two sides exchanged views on providing better facilities to cross-border visitors to promote people-to-people ties. Qureshi said Pakistan and Iran enjoy historical and brotherly relations and stressed upon expanding bilateral cooperation in the areas of trade, commerce and security.

He said restoration of peace in Afghanistan is vital for stability in the region and mentioned that it is time for the Afghan stakeholders not to miss the opportunity of sustainable peace. The two sides expressed resolve to continue efforts for ensuring peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Qureshi extended his condolences to Zarif on the loss of lives in Iran due to the coronavirus and lauded steps taken by the Iranian government to control the disease’s spread. On behalf of the Pakistani nation, he paid tribute to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for supporting the just cause of Kashmiris for their right to self-determination.

Both foreign ministers expressed concern over rising trend of Islamophobia in certain European countries, stressing that blasphemy was not acceptable in the garb of freedom of expression. Later, foreign ministers Qureshi and Zarif led their respective sides at delegation-level talks, where they discussed ways and means to explore opportunities in bilateral cooperation in diverse areas.