Zarif Visits Chabahar En Route to Pakistan
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had a stopover in the country’s southeastern port city of Chabahar before going to Pakistan.
The top Iranian diplomat visited Chabahar on Thursday, en route to neighboring Pakistan.
Speaking to reporters upon his arrival in the strategic port, Zarif said one of the main priorities in Iran’s foreign policy is development of the eastern parts of the country.
The top diplomat emphasized the significance of development plans in Chabahar, which he described as important for transit and for creating an international transportation network.
Zarif also said that the Chabahar free trade zone could greatly contribute to development of the coastal region and the entire country and also to security and stability of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran.
“The Foreign Ministry does its utmost to seize the opportunities available here with the help of our partners in the international community,” he added.
The foreign minister visited a number of industrial complexes in the port city, including Negin Makran petrochemical plant in the Chabahar free trade zone before leaving for Islamabad.
Zarif, who has stepped up diplomatic contacts with Asian governments in recent weeks, is scheduled to hold meetings with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi and other top officials in Islamabad.
The Iranian minister’s meetings will reportedly focus on the status of Tehran-Islamabad ties, plans to carry out the most recent agreements reached between the presidents of the two countries, and the latest regional and international developments.
In April, Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan paid a landmark visit to Iran with a big delegation to sign agreements with Tehran.
In a joint press conference with the Pakistani premier, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the two countries are resolved to expand relations, stressing that no third party could ever disrupt the brotherly and friendly ties between the two nations.
Rouhani said Iran is prepared to fulfill Pakistan’s demands for oil and gas and voiced the country’s readiness for a 10-fold increase in the export of electricity to Pakistan.