Pakistan to Resume Building IP Pipeline Soon: Iranian Minister
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran's Economic Affairs and Finance Minister Ali Tayyebnia announced that Pakistan plans to resume construction of a long-awaited project on a pipeline supplying the country with Iranian natural gas in the near future.
Speaking on Wednesday at the end of his official visit to Pakistan, Tayyebnia pointed to the latest remarks made by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on the construction of Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline, and said the project will soon be started in the Pakistani territory soon.
“The Pakistani side and particularly the prime minister of the country have announced their serious intention to implement the project,” the Iranian minister said.
“Required coordination have been done in this regard and the construction of the pipeline in Pakistani soil will be started,” he added.
Iran and Pakistan signed an agreement for the construction of the gas pipeline in 1995.
The IP pipeline is designed to help Pakistan overcome its growing energy needs at a time when the country of over 180 million people is grappling with serious energy shortages.
The final construction phase of the IP pipeline was inaugurated on March 11, 2013. Iran has already built 900 kilometers of the pipeline on its soil.
Pakistan, however, has fallen short of constructing the 700-kilometer part of the pipeline on its territory.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Tayyebnia commented on the trade exchanges between Iran and Pakistan, saying that the volume of bilateral trade ties is currently less than one billion dollars.
He added that the two sides are determined to raise the figure by 20 percent annually in the coming years.
The Iranian minister, heading a high-ranking delegation, was in Islamabad on Monday to attend the 19th session of Iran-Pakistan joint economic commission.
On Tuesday, the two sides signed five memorandums of understanding (MoUs) as part of efforts to promote mutual cooperation in diverse areas.
