APS NEWS AGENCY
President Asif Ali Zardari today said that Pakistan attaches great importance to early completion of Pak-Iran Gas Pipeline project in view of the energy crisis in the country and called for stepped up efforts for early completion of all Pak-Iran bilateral projects.
This he said during his meeting with Speaker of Iranian Majlis Shura Mr. Ali Ardeshir Larijani at Bilawal House, Lahore today.
Spokesperson to the President, Senator Farhatullah Babar said that the President during the meeting reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to implement expeditiously all mega projects including Pak-Iran Gas pipeline, the 1000 MW Taftan-Quetta transmission line, 400 MW Gwader Power supply project, Noshki-Dalbandin highway and up-gradation of the Quetta-Taftan track. The President stressed upon the need for devising appropriate mechanisms to finance these critical projects, he said.
The Iranian dignitary is visiting Pakistan for participation in the meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the ECO countries in Islamabad.
The President while welcoming Mr. Larijani to Pakistan lauded the setting up of Parliamentary Assembly of the ECO and expressed the hope that by promoting interaction among the elected representatives, the forum would help strengthen democracies in the member countries and promote people to people contacts. The President hoped that it will also enable parliamentarians identify new avenues of cooperation among the ECO countries.
The Spokesperson said that in addition to Pak-Iran bilateral ties focusing on trade and commerce between the two countries, the regional situation was also discussed during the meeting.
The President called for employing the collective strengths of Muslims and the need to shun violence in meeting the emerging challenges in the region. We have to take control of our own affairs and find our own solutions to the problems, he added.
The Spokesperson said that the President reiterated Pakistan’s support for an Afghan-owned, Afghan-led reconciliation process and said that the release of prisoners recently by Pakistan proved its sincerity. The President also called for greater coordination between the two countries for promoting peace and stability in the country.
The President said that Pakistan and Iran enjoy deep-rooted fraternal relations and the people of Pakistan have special attachment with their Iranian brethren and highly value their ties with them. The President underscored the need for concretes measures to further promote mutual cooperation and to take full advantage of historical, cultural and brotherly ties of the people of the two countries.
Noting the current low level of bilateral trade, the President emphasized the need for taking measures to realize the true potential of bilateral trade. He said that the existing regime of tariff barriers that was adversely impacting on the economic interaction needed to be revisited.
The President welcomed the call by the parliamentarians to focus on enhancement of trade and expressed the hope that the ECO Container Train would boost cargo trade not only between the two countries but in the region as a whole.
He said that improved visa facilitation, opening of new border posts at Mand-Pishin and Gabd-Reemdan and enhancing connectivity were critical for greater economic interaction between the two countries.
The President also felicitated the visiting Iranian delegation on their National day which was recently celebrated and asked Mr. Ali Larijani to convey his greetings and regards to the Supreme leader and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Mr. Ali Larijani was accompanied by Mr. Shaheen Mohammad Sadeghi, Member Parliament and Head of presiding Board of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Mr. Gholamreza Asadullahei, member Parliament and Head of Iran-Pakistan Friendship Group, Mr. Mehdi Sanaei, Member Parliament and National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Mrs. Haleema Aali, Member of Parliament, Mr. Mohammad Jaffery, Advisor and Head of the Speaker’s Secretariat of Islamic Consultative Assembly, Mr. Alireza Haghighian, Ambassador of Iran to Pakistan and others.
Pakistan side included Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, former Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani, Secretary General Mr. M. Salman Faruqui, and others.