Pak-Iran collaborative approaches imperative to confront terrorism: FM Jilani


ISLAMABAD, Jan 29 (APP):Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on Monday underlined the imperative for collective and collaborative approaches to confront terrorism that posed a common challenge to both Pakistan and Iran.
During a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian, who is on an official visit to Pakistan at the invitation of FM Jilani, he stressed that robust institutional mechanisms between the two countries on security cooperation should be fully leveraged, a Foreign Office statement said.
The senior officials from both sides were present at the meeting.
Underscoring the brotherly relations between Pakistan and Iran, FM Jilani reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to deepen and broaden the existing wide-ranging cooperation with Iran.
The two foreign ministers agreed to immediately appoint liaison officers in Turbat and Zahidan to further strengthen ongoing security and intelligence cooperation.
Noting that security and development are intrinsically interlinked, they also agreed to expand initiatives for economic and development cooperation, including through early operationalization of the joint border markets to uplift the socio-economic status of the people of both countries, especially those residing in the border regions.
The two sides also decided to establish a Joint Coordination Mechanism at the level of foreign ministers to oversee and steer progress on a common agenda for the prosperity and development of the two peoples.
Regular high-level engagements provide a leadership-driven impetus to the bilateral relations between Pakistan and Iran. In this backdrop, the foreign minister renewed the invitation to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to undertake a visit to Pakistan.