ISLAMABAD -- Iran and Pakistan have agreed to further strengthen border cooperation and reaffirmed their commitment to expedite opening of new border crossing points with mutual understanding.
The consensus was reached in the second session of Pakistan-Iran Higher Border Commission (HBC) held in Islamabad on Thursday.
Iranian delegation was led by Director General of International Legal Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abbas Bagherpour Ardekani and Pakistan delegation was led by Director General (Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey) Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri.
The HBC is a mechanism for consultations between the two countries to discuss all border-related issues for enhanced coordination at different levels.
The first session of the Commission was held in Tehran on July 17, 2017. The second session today was held in follow up of the decision taken by the leadership of the two countries during Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Iran in April this year.
Pakistan and Iran enjoy brotherly relations which are deep-rooted in historical, religious, cultural ties and strong people-to-people contacts. The two countries share more than 900 km long common border that is described as a border of peace and friendship.
During the session, the two sides held constructive discussions for effective implementation of existing border mechanisms within the relevant frameworks, including Agreement for Administration of Pakistan-Iran border of 1960. They agreed to further strengthen mutual cooperation in these areas.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to expedite opening new border crossing points with mutual understanding.
Both parties emphasized the necessity of updating border maps and border pillar descriptions and carrying out joint border surveys.
The two sides also shared the understating about their effective border management efforts through appropriate measures, including physical installations such as fencing.