Rafsanjani: Iran- Pakistan cooperation needed for a secure region

 

TEHRAN – Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said overcoming security threats in the region requires a cooperation between Iran and Pakistan.  Rafsanjani made the remark in a meeting with Pakistani Ambassador to Iran Shafkat Saeed on Tuesday. “The majority of Afghan people are dissatisfied with the occupation of their country. Considering their importance to the region, Iran and Pakistan can be the best help in handling the problems of this nation,” he observed.   The EC chairman stressed a secure Afghanistan is to the benefit of Iran and Pakistan, adding, “The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to cooperate with regional countries to establish peace and security” in Afghanistan.  Iran and Pakistan have been hosting millions of Afghan refugees since the former Soviet Union invaded the Central Asian country in 1979.  Rafsanjani also called for a serious effort to reach a final agreement on transferring Iran’s gas to Pakistan and India.  “As this project is of much benefit to the regional countries, the sides should put in a great deal of effort to reach a final agreement.”  Elsewhere in his remarks, Rafsanjani expressed hope that the ongoing developments in Pakistan will lead to a strong political stability in the country. Shafkat, for his part, said expanding economic and political relations between the two counties is to the benefit of regional states. “Iran and Pakistan can play an important role in promoting peace and economic development of the region,” the ambassador noted.