Tehran, Islamabad Discuss Ways to Boost Bilateral Trade

In a meeting in Islamabad on Thursday, Iranian Ambassador Mehdi Honardoost and the Senior Adviser to Pakistani Prime Minister for Commerce, Industry and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood discussed ways to expand bilateral trade between Iran and Pakistan to hit the target value of $5 billion.

The Iranian ambassador to Pakistan, in the meeting, expressed hope that the two sides would continue and increase relations between private sectors in particular and the chambers of commerce of the two countries. Honardoost also expressed hope that the Pakistani side would intensify its efforts to implement the existing agreement to jointly open border crossings of Pishin, Mand and Rimdan with the aim of developing bilateral trade relations between the two countries and facilitating border trade for the benefit of the residents on the two sides of the shared borders.

Honardoost also expressed the readiness of the Iranian government to contribute to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and help Pakistan to access Central Asian markets through the participation of Iranian companies in reconstructing the roads and railways between the two countries.

The two sides also discussed the 21st meeting of the Joint Economic Commission and the 8th meeting between Iranian-Pakistani economic ministers.

Meeting Pakistani energy needs and holding special joint trade exhibitions between the two countries were among other issues discussed in the meeting.

Earlier in mid-November, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan ordered the country's officials to double efforts to further broaden relations and cooperation with Iran in defiance of the US attempts to pressure Tehran.

"Iran is a friendly and neighboring state and we have age-old relations with the country," Imran Khan told FNA in a press conference in Islamabad.

"We want to expand ties with Iran," he added.

Senior leaders of Iran and Pakistan have vowed to enhance the values of trade exchanges between the two countries to the level of $5 billion.

A senior Pakistani trade official underlined in August that his country would not quit developing trade relations with Iran despite the re-imposition of sanctions against the Islamic Republic by the US.

"Sanctions will have no impact on Iran's trade with other countries and cannot hamper its progress," President of Iran-Pakistan Federation of Culture and Trade Khawaja Habib-ul Rahman said.

He underlined the re-imposition of the US sanctions against the Islamic Republic as an unjustified move, and said, "The economic situation of Iran is far better than the past and the new round of the US sanctions on Iran cannot hamper its progress."

Also, in September, Imran Khan voiced his country's willingness to broaden mutual cooperation with Iran in different fields.

"Pakistan is seeking enhancement of amicable ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran," Khan said.

The Pakistani prime minister underlined that Islamabad was looking for establishment of friendly relation with all its neighbors.

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