Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran Dr. Reza Amiri Moqadam called on Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti here on Monday at the CM Secretariat The discussions were held on promoting trade, educational and cultural relations between Pakistan and Iran during the meeting. Welcoming the Iranian delegation, the Chief Minister of Balochistan said that he valued the centuries-old long-standing relations between Pakistan and Iran, the two countries have always shared each other’s joys and sorrows. It is the need of the hour to further strengthen trade, cultural and social relations between the two countries, he said. In the meeting, the Iranian Ambassador offered cooperation in various fields of social development including increasing trade volume, educational scholarships, and technical education. The Chief Minister said that exchange of delegations and trade relations between Balochistan and Iran at different levels would be further promoted saying that prevention of illegal smuggling, effective measures could be taken for and a lasting solution to be found to the problems being faced by traders. He said that efforts would be made to resolve the problems of the border adjacent to Balochistan in collaboration with the central government so that facilities could be provided to the traders. The CM said that the establishment of law and order in the areas would increase trade activities and it could be possible to eliminate smuggling. In this regard, a meeting will also be held in Islamabad in which representatives of the Chambers of Commerce will be invited, he said. The Chief Minister assured of facilities for Iranian traders and said that no legal commercial container or truck would face any kind of problems in Balochistan. For timely resolution of such problems, the Iranian Consulate should appoint its, a representative who will be in touch with the relevant authorities of the provincial government to assist the traders, he said. While offering educational scholarships, the Iranian ambassador said that Iran is keen to start various programs for Pakistani students. The CM also appreciated the offer and said that the Iranian Consulate and the officials of the Balochistan government would jointly prepare a plan for the scholarship program. Mir Sarfraz Bugti said that under this offer, a special educational scholarship program would also be launched for the Hazara community living in Quetta. He said that for the first time in the history of Balochistan, the Benazir Bhutto Scholarship Program has been launched adding that under which students are being given scholarships for higher education in two hundred prominent universities around the world. Providing technical training and employment is among the priorities of the provincial government, he maintained. He accepted the invitation to visit Iran at the invitation of the Iranian Ambassador and said that he would soon visit Iran with a delegation. During the meeting, the Iranian Ambassador informed the Chief Minister of Balochistan about the appointment of a Baloch governor in Sistan. On which the Chief Minister expressed happiness and termed it a good omen. At the end of the meeting, the two leaders reiterated their commitment to further promote bilateral relations and exchanged souvenirs.