• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Iran, Pakistan agree to expand security cooperation

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Mon / 29 January 2024 / 12:33

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein AmirAbdollahian on Monday said there was "no doubt" that militants located in the border areas of Pakistan and Iran were "led and supported by third countries".

Tehran-ISNA- Addressing a joint press conference alongside interim Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani in Islamabad, AmirAbdollahian said: "There is no doubt that the terrorists located in the common border regions and areas of Iran and Pakistan are led and supported by third countries and they never favour any good action in line with the benefits of the Iranian and Pakistani governments and nations."

Abdollahian arrived in Pakistan earlier today, following which he and FM Jilani discussed bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

According to FM Jilani, during their meeting, both sides agreed to "establish a high-level constructive mechanism at the level of foreign ministers of the two countries".

He added that the mechanism would "meet alternatively in both Iran and Pakistan on a regular basis to oversee the progress that is being made in various areas of cooperation".

The foreign minister further said both neighbours agreed to "cooperate to fight terrorism in our respective areas", emphasising the need to allay and address each other's concerns".

"We have agreed to station liaison officers of which an agreement was already in place at the earliest date," Jilani said, specifying that they would be deployed in Turbat and Zahedan.

He went on to say that the border markets that had been established, would be operationalised at an early rate.

FM Jilani highlighted that his Iranian counterpart's visit at "such short notice testified to the deep commitment on both sides to solidify ties" with each other.

He expressed recognition that close relationships between Pakistan and Iran were "not only beneficial for development but an important source of stability for the people". Subsequently, both countries resolved to expand cooperation, especially in the political domain, the foreign minister said.

Emphasising that the threat of terrorism posed a common challenge to both countries, Jilani said Islamabad and Tehran therefore agreed to "adopt collaborative approaches to confront this menace to leverage the robust institutional mechanism".

"Respect for sovereignty and integrity remains the foundational step for cooperation," he stressed.

On the occasion, the ministers also agreed to prioritise uplift and development projects, terming the joint inauguration of the border and Hub-Bolan electricity line a testament to the same.

End Item