ISLAMABAD: With the aim of increasing trade and energy cooperation, Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Affairs and Diplomacy Mahdi Safari committed on Thursday to resolve the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline issues amicably.

Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said that Pakistan and Iran enjoyed historically strong bilateral ties that were based on shared values, similar cultures, the same religion, and being neighbouring countries.

He reaffirmed his commitment to extending parliamentary support to further deepen these ties by supporting cooperation in energy, trade, and business, and especially by creating synergy among the private sectors of both nations. The speaker expressed these views during his meeting with the Iranian Parliamentary Delegation led by Mahdi Safari, Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy, and Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghaddam at Parliament House Islamabad.

A statement issued here by the NA said that while emphasising the need for streamlining cooperation in the private sector, the speaker said that both nations had vast opportunities for enhancing trade and business by managing border markets, increasing import-export volume, resolving Iran-Pakistan gas pipe line issues, working on Gawadar-Chahbahar as sister projects, and bringing the parliaments of both nations closer. The Speaker reiterated his commitment to cement parliament-to-parliament contacts between both nations by reviving the Parliamentary Friendship Group (PFG) and encouraging the mutual visits of lawmakers of both nations.

Mahdi Safari, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Affairs and Diplomacy, extended warm felicitations to Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq for his successful election as Speaker National Assembly of Pakistan. He said that both nations had vast opportunities to explore in the business, trade, and energy sectors. He also said that issues related to the Iran-Pakistan Gas Project needed to be resolved amicably, along with enhancing border trade and cooperation in the energy sector.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2024