QINGDAO : Iran’s president has assured Pakistan that it can rely on theIslamic Republic to fulfill its energy needs. .
In a Saturday meeting with his Pakistani counterpart on the sidelines ofthe Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in China, Iranian PresidentHassan Rouhani highlighted the close cooperation between Tehran andIslamabad in various fields, saying, “Iran could be a reliable source forsupplying energy to Pakistan.”
Stressing the need to strengthen banking interaction between the twoneighbors, Rouhani voiced Iran’s readiness for joint investment withPakistan in diverse areas.
He also said Iran welcomes “defense cooperation” with Pakistan, urgingefforts to keep the common borders safe and secure.
“As long as terrorists are active, the region will not achieve itsdevelopment targets,” the Iranian president added, calling for concertedaction and mutual cooperation in the war on terrorism.
Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain, for his part, expressed his country’sresolve to broaden ties with Iran in all fields, and also voiced supportfor Iran’s permanent membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
He further hailed the 2015 Iran nuclear deal as a model for the peacefulsettlement of conflicts through dialogue, saying Pakistan supports theJoint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and asks all parties to remaincommitted to the deal.
Iran’s president arrived in the city of Qingdao in China’s eastern provinceof Shandong on Friday at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, XiJinping, to attend the annual SCO summit.
Accompanied by a high-profile delegation, Rouhani is planned to meetseveral top foreign officials on the sidelines of the event.
The SCO was established in Shanghai in 2001, with China, Russia,Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as founding members.