Iran, Pakistan Confer on Regional Developments

The Iranian foreign minister on Tuesday sat down with the adviser to the Pakistani prime minister on national security and foreign affairs in Islamabad on the sidelines of the ongoing Western Asia session of “Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process” conference.

During the meeting, both sides exchanged views on the latest developments in the region and stressed the need for resolving the Syrian crisis through political negotiations.

Pointing to the good and age-old relations between the two countries, Zarif also underlined the need for promotion of economic ties between the two nations and said, “With removal of (anti-Tehran) sanctions, grounds for the development of economic cooperation in various spheres will be paved.”

Aziz, for his part, announced that Iran-Pakistan’s Joint Economic Commission will be formed near in the future, adding that the commission will pave the way for both nations to further increase their cooperation.

Heart of Asia conference is part of the ‘Istanbul Process’, which provides a platform to discuss an agenda of regional cooperation with Afghanistan at its center.

‘Heart of Asia’ countries engage in result-oriented cooperation for a peaceful and stable Afghanistan and, by extension, a secure and prosperous region as a whole.

Fourteen member countries are supported by 16 other countries and 12 regional and international organizations. The member countries are Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and the UAE.

The United States, Japan, Egypt, the United Kingdom, France and Germany are among the supporting countries, while the UN, NATO, SAARC, SCO and OIC are among the supporting organizations.