Iran-Pakistan Eye Trade Value Increase: President Pezeshkian

President Masoud Pezeshkian says Iran and Pakistan plan to increase their bilateral trade volume to US$10 billion annually. Leading a high-ranking delegation, Pezeshkian departed Tehran for Lahore on Saturday at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Speaking before his departure, he noted that since the establishment of Pakistan, Tehran and Islamabad have maintained “good, sincere, and deep relations.”

“These relations are being implemented in the economic, scientific, cultural, and border areas,” he said, adding that a deep bond exists between the people of the two countries. Pezeshkian noted that strengthening and developing border trade via land, air, and sea with Pakistan is one of the priorities of this trip. “Through Pakistan, we can connect to the Silk Road between China and Pakistan, and this road can connect to Europe through Iran,” he said. He said that security and border issues are of great importance to Iran and Pakistan, adding, “We strive to establish regional security through coordination between the two countries.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iranian president refereed to the 12-day US-Israeli aggression against Iran, pointing out that Pakistan was one of the countries that strongly condemned this aggression and announced firm support for Iran’s territorial integrity as well as its government and people. Pezeshkian stated that the goal is to maintain unity and cohesion between Iran and Pakistan, adding that “the enemy has a plan to create discord among Muslims,” which will be thwarted by the Muslim nations.

‘A shared future’

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote an article in The News on Iran-Pakistan relations ahead of Pezeshkian’s visit, underlining that Pakistan has a special place in Iran’s foreign policy. “Our relationship with Pakistan occupies a special place — one defined not simply by geography, but by centuries of shared civilizational experience, religious affinity, cultural kinship and converging strategic interests,” he noted. “As two sovereign nations situated at a crucial crossroads of Asia, Iran and Pakistan have much to gain from an enduring partnership — and even more to contribute to the future of our region,” he said, adding that the visit reflects this growing momentum.

Araghchi stated that as “transnational threats continue to endanger our shared security,” Tehran and Islamabad “remain vigilant against terrorist networks operating in border regions.” Referring to the Israeli regime’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, its occupation of Syria and Lebanon, and its recent unprovoked attacks on Iran, Araghchi underscored “the urgency of a collective response to belligerent forces that thrive on instability and domination.”

“It is incumbent upon us to ensure that Iran and Pakistan not only prosper but rise together as architects of a peaceful, pluralistic and integrated regional future,” he concluded. - Press TV