Pakistan, Iran Pledge Joint Efforts to Combat Terrorism and Increase Trade to $10B

Islamabad, Pakistan and Iran have reached an understanding to increase their bilateral trade volume to ten billion dollars within the next five years, as part of efforts to expand wide-ranging cooperation.

According to Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the agreement was made during a meeting between Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Iranian President Dr. Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi in Islamabad. The meeting was attended by ministers and senior officials from both countries.

During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the full scope of bilateral relations and exchanged views on significant regional and global developments. They underscored the rich history of relations between Pakistan and Iran, reaffirming their commitment to expanding cooperation across various sectors, including trade, energy, connectivity, culture, and people-to-people contacts.

Both leaders also agreed to collaborate on developing joint approaches to confront shared challenges, notably the threat of terrorism. The discussions emphasized the importance of combating terrorism through unified efforts and intelligence sharing.

President Raisi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed strong condemnation of the use of force by Israeli occupation authorities in Gaza, which has continued for over seven months. They reiterated their call for international efforts to secure an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, the lifting of the siege, and the delivery of humanitarian relief to the people of Gaza.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif commended the Iranian leadership, especially Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, for Iran’s firm support of the Kashmiri people and their legitimate rights.

The meeting concluded with both leaders reaffirming their commitment to further strengthen the ties between Pakistan and Iran and to work together on common challenges and global issues.