KARACHI: Chief of the Army Staff Gen Asim Munir met Iran’s top military leaders on Saturday to discuss bilateral matters relating to defence and security cooperation and stressed that Pakistan was ready to solidify the ties and use the most suitable solutions to address security challenges and the presence and activities of terrorist elements at the border.

Gen Munir, who reached Iran on a two-day visit on Saturday with a high-ranking military delegation, met Iran’s top general, Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, in Tehran and discussed ways to improve bilateral interactions “to develop the level of cooperation in different fields, including defence, security, military and training”, Iran’s Mehr News Agency reported.

During the exchange, Mr Bagheri highlighted the “historical background of the two neighbouring countries as a basis for the expansion of bilateral relations and cooperation in various fields”, the report said.

He stressed the importance of developing military relations between Tehran and Islamabad, calling for increased training interactions and joint defence and security relations between the two countries at the regional level.

On his arrival in Tehran, Gen Munir was received by Maj Gen Abdolrahim Mousavi, the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, Mehr said.

In the meeting, both sides discussed and examined avenues for an increase in bilateral interactions, strengthening of the security on shared borders and an increase in educational interactions and defence and security relations at the regional level.

‘Pakistan’s security our own security’

Gen Munir also met Major General Hossein Salami, the chief commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), who said Iran gave utmost importance to Pakistan’s security.

“We consider Pakistan’s security as our security and by expanding interactions, cooperation and joint actions, we will end the existence of terrorist groups and establish stable security in the shared border areas,” Gen Salami was quoted as saying by the Mehr News Agency.

The IRGC commander-in-chief said his forces were ready to turn the two countries’ borders into economic borders for economic and trade activities.

Gen Munir expressed his satisfaction with his visit to Iran and emphasised the importance of increasing defence and security interactions between the two countries.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2023