Islamabad (TDI): Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will embark on a two-day official visit to Iran on December 2 to attend the 28th meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Council of Ministers, the Pakistani Foreign Office confirmed on Friday.
Despite a history of strained relations, Pakistan and Iran have continued to engage in various commercial agreements.
A notable example is the 2004 $7 billion Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project, which remains unfinished two decades later.
While Iran has completed its section of the pipeline, Pakistan has been unable to proceed with its portion due to the US sanctions on Iran, which it seeks to bypass by requesting a waiver from Washington.
During his address at the ECO meeting in Mashhad, Dar will emphasize the potential for increased connectivity within the ECO region.
According to Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Dar will highlight the importance of enhanced road and rail networks, liberalized visa regimes, and simplified border procedures to promote sustainable growth and geo-economic integration in the region.
“Deputy PM Dar will also sign the charter for the ECO Clean Energy Center and engage in bilateral meetings with ministers and dignitaries on the sidelines of the event,” Baloch said during a weekly press briefing in Islamabad.
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Moreover, Dar will reiterate Pakistan’s concerns over the ongoing hostilities in the Middle East, which threaten regional peace and security.
This visit follows the recent two-day trip to Islamabad by Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, where discussions were held regarding the Middle East crisis following Israel’s invasion of Gaza and Lebanon, as well as strengthening bilateral ties.
The two countries have also frequently dealt with tensions along their shared, porous border, with both sides accusing each other of not doing enough to combat cross-border militancy.
Relations further soured in January when both nations exchanged airstrikes, each claiming to target militant hideouts on the other’s soil.
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Efforts to ease tensions were made earlier this year when the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visited Pakistan in April.
During this visit, both sides signed several memorandums of understanding covering various fields, including trade, science, technology, agriculture, health, culture, and the judiciary.
