Following a two-day visit to Tehran by army commander General Asim Munir, Pakistan and Iran agreed on Sunday to strengthen collaboration and seek innovative measures to boost border security and cope with the “common threat” of terrorism.
As an army chief, Gen Asim made his first journey to the neighboring country. He met with his Iranian counterpart and the Iranian civilian leadership, including the president and foreign minister.
Following a two-day visit to Tehran by army commander General Asim Munir, Pakistan and Iran agreed on Sunday to strengthen collaboration and seek innovative measures to boost border security and cope with the “common threat” of terrorism.
As an army chief, Gen Asim made his first journey to the neighboring country. He met with his Iranian counterpart and the Iranian civilian leadership, including the president and foreign minister.
They committed to eliminate the threat of terrorism in border areas by intelligence sharing and aggressive operations against terrorist networks, as well as to seek options for expanding security cooperation.
The COAS also met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahain.
The importance of Pakistan-Iran bilateral relations for regional peace and stability was stressed during negotiations.
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On his arrival, the COAS was greeted with the Guard of Honour by a well-dressed detachment of Iranian armed forces at the military headquarters.
Pakistan-Iran relations have been strained in the past due to regional competition between Tehran and Riyadh.
However, the geopolitical climate has shifted significantly since China engineered a historic rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Since then, the two regional powers have reestablished diplomatic connections and agreed to take further efforts to enhance their relationship.
Pakistan is a direct beneficiary of the Iran-Saudi agreement, as Islamabad previously struggled to maintain a delicate balance.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have a long history of strategic cooperation, which Iran regards with distrust. However, with Iran and Saudi Arabia resolving to put the past behind them, Pakistan sees this as a golden opportunity to strengthen not only security but also economic ties with Iran.
Pakistan recently agreed to barter trade with Iran and other regional countries in order to mitigate the impact of Western sanctions on Tehran.
China is playing an important role in bringing the transformation about by leveraging its might to pull Iran and Pakistan closer together.
