Islamabad, 14 June 2022 (TDI): At the invitation of Iranian Foreign Minister, Dr. Amir Abdollahian, Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will undertake his first official visit to Iran on 14-15 June 2022.

During the visit, the Foreign Minister will hold a detailed exchange of views with his Iranian counterpart on all areas of mutual interest, as per the official handout of the Foreign Office.

During Foreign Minister’s stay in Tehran, he will also call on the Iranian President and meet other dignitaries. On Wednesday (tomorrow), the Foreign Minister will visit Mashhad, the Foreign Office statement added.

Iran is currently supplying electricity to Pakistan through Gwadar and is keen to further enhance that cooperation. Pakistan is in the grip of energy shortages causing long power outages.

During the delegation-level talks, the two sides will review the facets of bilateral relations, including trade and economic ties, electricity supply from Iran, border sustenance markets, road and rail connectivity, and the facilitation of Zaireen.

The Foreign Ministers from the two sides will also review the regional security situation with particular focus on developments in Afghanistan and South Asia as well as on combating Islamophobia.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto’s visit to Iran is a part of high-level exchanges between the two countries. The last meeting between two Foreign Ministers was held on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum at Davos on 26 May 2022.

“Pakistan and Iran enjoy close cooperative ties based on shared geography, cultural affinity, and historic people-to-people linkages. These fraternal relations have been further strengthened through the frequent high-level exchanges”, according to the statement.

The two countries are also celebrating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between them. Despite the friendly portrayal in the official statement by Pakistan’s Foreign Office, relations between both countries have faced many challenges.