Iran’s Deputy Minister of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics, Hojatollah Ghoreishi, arrived in Islamabad at the head of a high-ranking military delegation on Wednesday night (6 November). He added that the current visit is aimed at strengthening cooperation between Iran and Pakistan, especially expanding defense interactions.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan has said that the Iran-Pakistan border is the border of peace and friendship and that Pakistani officials are strongly committed to combating terrorism and smugglers near the country’s borders with its neighbors. The statement was made in response to rumors about joint operations on the border region between Iran and Pakistan aimed against terrorist elements.
According to the spokesperson, appropriate coordination has been established at the highest level between Iran and Pakistan, and both countries are striving to open new avenues for cooperation in the defense sector.
Referring to Iran’s first participation in the 12th International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS), which is set to be held November 19-22 at the Karachi Expo Centre, the Iranian general said that this event is one of the arenas that can create various avenues for defense, industrial, and technological cooperation between Iran and Pakistan.
Pakistan and Tehran have pledged to further enhance their bilateral relations in the fields of defense and security, with a focus on protecting their shared borders and addressing mutual security concerns.
On November 4th, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, also made an important visit to Pakistan about which he stated that:
Very good meetings were held and very good agreements were made. We had an exchange of views about the region. Fortunately, the positions of Iran and Pakistan are very much in harmony with each other concerning the developments in the region
Abbas Araghchi
Araghchi stressed that there was ample consultation with Pakistani officials on the region, which included “both the issue of Afghanistan and the issue of dealing with the phenomenon of terrorism that exists on the borders of both countries as well as the need for coordination between the two countries.”
On Tuesday (November 6), he and his Pakistani counterpart Mohammad Ishaq Dar held talks. The two sides focused on the necessity of addressing the genocide committed by the Zionist regime. Araghchi also met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and held talks on several issues, including the fight against terrorism.
According to a statement by the Pakistani government, Sharif placed emphases on the country’s resolve to bolster brotherly ties with Iran through maintaining regular high-level exchanges and enhancing mutually advantageous cooperation across all spheres of shared interest.
The prime minister also reiterated Pakistan’s unequivocal support to the Palestinian people in their just struggle for self-determination and statehood. He strongly condemned and expressed grave concern over Israel’s ongoing genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people.