Pakistani PM in Tehran Holds Constructive Talks

IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK

According To Iran News, Prime Minister Imran Khan says Pakistan will do its utmost to enable talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia as he arrived in Tehran for talks with Iranian officials.

“Pakistan does not want conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia…I am happy to facilitate talks between Tehran and Riyadh…I am very hopeful as I had constructive talks with the (Iranian) president,” he said at a joint news conference with Hassan Rouhani.

“Any effort based on goodwill is welcomed … during the meeting, we agreed that the regional issues can be resolved through diplomacy and through dialogue between countries,” Rouhani responded.

After meeting Iranian President Rouhani and Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Khan said he will travel to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

Accompanied by his aide Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Khan arrived at Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport earlier Sunday.

A Pakistani Foreign Ministry statement said the visit would focus on “peace and security in the region.”

It is Khan’s second visit to Tehran this year amid an escalation in regional tensions.

Meanwhile yesterday President Rouhani said the country would respond to any goodwill gesture with goodwill, and believes regional issues can be resolved through dialogue.

“Any kind of goodwill and good speech will be responded with good, suitable speech,” Rouhani said in a joint press conference with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.

President Rouhani stressed that Tehran and Islamabad both share the view that regional issues must be resolved through political ways and dialogue.

“In our meeting, we expressed our concerns about the safety and security of oil tankers, especially what happened to the Iranian tanker on Friday in the Red Sea.”

“We also presented the leads that we have acquired on the issue and stressed that we will continue our investigations until we reach the final conclusion,” said Rouhani.

He said “if a country thinks that it can create insecurity in the region and not receive any response, it is gravely mistaken.”

“Mr Imran Khan made some points about the critical region of Persian Gulf, which we approve. The Prime Minister of Pakistan also stressed that the key to regional issues is ending the war in Yemen, immediate cease-fire and helping the Yemenis, which can be a very good start,” he said.

“Today, we also talked about bilateral relations and deepening economic cooperation between the two countries. We also discussed issues related to security in the two countries’ borders and activating border markets,” said Rouhani.

He said Iran and Pakistan enjoy profound strategic relations and both parties believe that these ties need to continue.

In this meeting, the Zionist Regime’s threats to regional security were explained to the Pakistani officials, said Rouhani.

The President went on to state that the United States’ unjust sanctions against the Iranian nation was another issue that was discussed in the meeting.

“The unjust U.S. sanctions against the Iranian nation is economic terrorism. In this meeting, we discussed how the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as an important agreement, can be returned to its previous states and be implemented.”

“We also highlighted the basic key fact that for the settlement of the issue, the United States has to return to the JCPOA and abandon sanctions,” he continued.

Appreciating Imran Khan for his visit to Tehran, the president said, “We welcome the Pakistani Prime Minister’s goodwill and effort for resolving regional issues so that full peace and security returns to our critical region.”

At the same press conference, Imran Khan referred to the friendly relations between the two countries and said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran has always been a friendly neighbor to Pakistan and supported us in hard times.”

Pakistani PM in Tehran Holds Constructive Talks

He also appreciated Tehran’s stances in supporting the people of Kashmir.

Any kind of new conflict in the region will be to the detriment of regional nations and to the benefit of foreigners, he said, adding, “The peoples of the region, including those of Afghanistan and Syria, are still suffering from the consequences of terrorism, therefore, no new conflict must begin in the region.”

Stating that any kind of conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia will affect the entire region, Imran Khan said, “We believe that disputes can be settled through dialogue.”

Referring to his upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia, the Pakistani PM said, “In the visit, I will offer Pakistan’s initiatives for peace and stability and ending disputes and tensions.”