Iran Eyes International Cooperation with Pakistan


TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The president of Iran said Tehran welcomes close cooperation with Pakistan at the regional and international levels as the prime minister of the neighboring state has been elected after recent elections.

In a telephone conversation on Monday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi congratulated Shehbaz Sharif on his election as the prime minister of Pakistan for a second term.

Iran welcomes the expansion of bilateral, regional and international cooperation with Pakistan as its friend and neighbor, Raisi said.

He noted that the relations between Iran and Pakistan are beyond neighborliness and are based upon strong, historic and cultural bonds.

Sharif, for his part, expressed hope for the promotion of ties between Islamabad and Tehran in all fields.

Pakistani legislators on Sunday elected Shehbaz Sharif as the country’s prime minister for a second term following the last month’s election.

Shehbaz secured 201 votes in the 336-member National Assembly, comfortably prevailing over rival Omar Ayub Khan, who won 92. The winner needed at least 169 votes.

Sharif, 72, served as prime minister until August last year when the National Assembly was dissolved to make way for a caretaker government, tasked with holding the national elections.