Iran, Pakistan to Boost Bilateral Trade to $5bln: Minister
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli predicted that Tehran and Islamabad would raise the value of their bilateral trade exchanges to $5 billion in three years.
The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, with 900 kilometers of shared borders, are major countries and neighbors whose people have coexisted peacefully throughout history, Rahmani Fazli said in an address to a Tuesday ceremony held in Tehran to commemorate Pakistan’s National Day.
“The recent visit by Iran’s president and his accompanying delegation to Pakistan, regardless of its diplomatic aspects, indicated the good ties between the two countries,” he went on to say.
A road-map has been illustrated for Tehran-Islamabad ties within the next three years and its details have been outlined in the joint committee for economic cooperation, the Iranian minister added, noting that the road-map can help the two sides further develop their bilateral relations.
He predicted that the value of the bilateral trade exchanges will be boosted to $5 billion within three years, adding that Iran is keen to supply many of its economic and trade needs in constructive and mutual interaction with Pakistan.
Rahmani Fazli also noted that Tehran is ready to provide Pakistan with what it needs, particularly in the fields of energy and new technologies.
Energy is Pakistan’s most important need and, as President Hassan Rouhani repeatedly noted in his visit to Islamabad, Tehran is ready to provide the Pakistani people with energy as soon as possible, he concluded.
In similar remarks back in March, Iranian President Rouhani expressed the country’s willingness to enhance relations with neighboring Pakistan in all areas, including trade, banking and security.
Speaking in a joint meeting of Iranian and Pakistani businessmen in Islamabad, which was also attended by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Rouhani said on March 26 that the Islamic Republic is ready to raise the volume of annual trade between the two countries from the current $1 billion to $5 billion.
He added that the two sides’ private and public sectors and entrepreneurs can play an important role in this regard.
He said Iran can be a reliable partner for Pakistan and help the country in such fields as gas, electricity, and oil as well as development of infrastructures like railroads and dams.
