ISLAMABAD -UNS: Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian on Monday said there was “no doubt” that militants located in the border areas of Pakistan and Iran were “led and supported by third countries”.
“There is no doubt that the terrorists located in the common border regions and areas of Iran and Pakistan are led and supported by third countries and they never favour any good action in line with the benefits of the Iranian and Pakistani governments and nations,” the Iranian foreign minister said.
He made the remarks while addressing a joint press conference alongside interim Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani in Islamabad. Abdollahian had arrived in Pakistan earlier today, following which he and FM Jilani discussed bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
According to the Foreign Office (FO), the two had “underscored the importance of robust dialogue and cooperation as the pathway for a positive, forward-oriented and upward trajectory in bilateral relations”.
“The two sides agreed to work towards promoting the mutually desired goals of peace and prosperity, based on mutual respect and a collective approach to address common challenges,” it added.
The remarks by the Iranian official come days after tensions escalated between the neighbours following a deadly Iranian air strike in Pakistan, leading Islamabad to strike terrorist hideouts in the neighbouring country’s Sistan-Baluchestan province.
Moreover, on Saturday nine Pakistani workers were gunned down by unidentified attackers in Sistan-Baluchestan. Pakistan has demanded a comprehensive investigation and swift prosecution of those responsible for the brutal attack.
At the outset of his speech, the Iranian minister highlighted that both countries “never had territorial differences”.
“Our historical bilateral relations and connections testify that we are a single nation located in two different geographical positions,” he said.
He said he had received Islamabad’s invitation for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to visit Pakistan.
The minister stated that both Iran and Pakistan respected each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“We are here, so in a loud voice we will tell all terrorists that Iran and Pakistan will not provide them with any opportunity to endanger our common security,” Abdollahian asserted.
He added that both sides had agreed to take “further actions as soon as possible when it comes to border security [and] necessity of fighting against terrorism”, as well as expansion of trade, commercial and economic cooperation.
High-level mechanism to be established
In his remarks, FM Jilani said that during the meeting between him and his Iranian counterpart, both sides had agreed to “establish a high-level constructive mechanism at the level of foreign ministers of the two countries”.
He added that the mechanism would “meet alternatively in both Iran and Pakistan on a regular basis to oversee the progress that is being made in various areas of cooperation”.
The foreign minister further said both neighbours agreed to “cooperate to fight terrorism in our respective areas”, emphasising the need to “allay and address each other’s concerns”.
“We have agreed to station liaison officers of which an agreement was already in place at the earliest date,” Jilani said, specifying that they would be deployed in Turbat and Zahedan.
He went on to say that the border markets that had been established, would be operationalised at the earliest.
FM Jilani highlighted that his Iranian counterpart’s visit at “such short notice testified to the deep commitment on both sides to solidify ties” with each other.
He said that close ties between Pakistan and Iran were “not only beneficial for development but an important source of stability for the people”.
