Daily Times

President Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday called for boosting cooperation with Iran and Romania in all areas of mutual interest.

He expressed these views in separate meetings with the envoys of Iran and Romania here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr. Talking to the outgoing Iranian Ambassador Seyed Mohammad Ali Hosseini, the president said Pakistan greatly valued its fraternal relations with Iran as both brotherly countries shared historic linkages and cultural affinities, besides having commonalities of views on issues of regional and international significance.

He emphasized the need for increasing economic cooperation and expanding the trade volume for the mutual benefit of the two countries. The president also highlighted the atrocities being committed by the Indian security forces against Muslims in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir and other parts of India, saying Muslims were being isolated and persecuted in India and the Muslim world needed to take notice of the Indian brutalities against Muslims. He thanked the Iranian government for its support and stance on the Kashmir issue.

Appreciating the landmark initiative taken by Iran and Saudi Arabia to normalise diplomatic relations, President Alvi said normalization of relations between the two countries would lead to peace and stability in the Middle East. The meeting also underscored the need for promoting counter-terrorism cooperation to eliminate the menace of terrorism.

Ambassador Seyed Mohammad Ali Hosseini underlined the need for enhancing economic, cultural and political cooperation between the two countries. He said both countries had great potential to further expand economic cooperation. Both sides had agreed to construct six border markets that would boost bilateral trade, he added. He apprised the president of the ongoing electricity transmission projects that would benefit the people of Balochistan.

The president appreciated the contribution of the outgoing ambassador to promoting bilateral cooperation between the two brotherly countries. In his meeting with Ambassador of Romania Nicolae Goia, the president said Romania was an important country in Eastern Europe and Pakistan desired to deepen its relationship with it in the fields of trade and economy. He thanked the Romanian government for its support to Pakistan in granting and continuation of GSP plus status. Both sides underscored the need for improving economic relations and undertaking regular exchanges and interactions at the highest levels to further cement bilateral ties. The Romanian ambassador conveyed gratitude on behalf of the President of Romania for the support provided by Pakistan in the evacuation of the Romanian nationals from Afghanistan during August and September 2021.