President: Iran A Reliable Supplier of Energy for Pakistan

TEHRAN (Defapress) – In a Saturday meeting with his Pakistani counterpart on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in China, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani highlighted the close cooperation between Tehran and Islamabad in various fields, saying, “Iran could be a reliable source for supplying energy to Pakistan.”

Stressing the need to strengthen banking interaction between the two neighbors, Rouhani voiced Iran’s readiness for joint investment with Pakistan in diverse areas.

He also said Iran welcomes “defense cooperation” with Pakistan, urging efforts to keep the common borders safe and secure.

“As long as terrorists are active, the region will not achieve its development targets,” the Iranian president added, calling for concerted action and mutual cooperation in the war on terrorism.

Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain, for his part, expressed his country’s resolve to broaden ties with Iran in all fields, and also voiced support for Iran’s permanent membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

He further hailed the 2015 Iran nuclear deal as a model for the peaceful settlement of conflicts through dialogue, saying Pakistan supports the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and asks all parties to remain committed to the deal.

Iran’s president arrived in the city of Qingdao in China’s eastern province of Shandong on Friday at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, to attend the annual SCO summit.

Accompanied by a high-profile delegation, Rouhani is planned to meet several top foreign officials on the sidelines of the event.

The SCO was established in Shanghai in 2001, with China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as founding members.

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