Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Mehdi Honardoost has suggested Pakistan and India to resolve their problems through dialogue, insisting that Iran was ready to play the role of a mediator between the two countries.

While inaugurating the Urdu website of Iranian News Agency (IRNA) on Tuesday at the National Press Club, the Iranian ambassador said that volume of bilateral trade between Pakistan and Iran was lower than potential. After the lifting of sanctions against Iran, some measures were being taken by the two sides for enhancing trade, he said, adding that one of the biggest obstacle to boost trade was non-availability of inter-bank transactions between the two countries. However, he said, both sides were now opening bank branches in each other’s countries.

The Iranian envoy said that Pakistan was in need of energy for industrial development while Iran had abundance of gas and other energy resources. “We are ready to provide gas and electricity to Pakistan. Execution of Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline along with more air transportation would certainly raise the level bilateral trade as well as people-to-people contacts between the two countries, he remarked.

On a query regarding Iran’s stance on Kashmir, Honardoost said that Iran supported Pakistan’s stance, but was not in favour of flaring up tension between the two neighbouring states. He said conflict would not benefit either side, adding that Iran was in favour of regional cooperation so that any superpower could not interfere in the region.

Speaking on Kulbushan’s episode, the Iranian envoy said that it was propaganda that Iran gave any facility to a third country to use its land against Pakistan. He said this issue was brought to talks when Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s visited Pakistan earlier this year, adding that a large number of anti-Iran articles were also published in Pakistani media on the issue.