Islamabad, Jan 11, IRNA -- Iran's newly appointed Ambassador to Pakistan Mohammad Ali Hosseini emphasizing on constructive approach of the Islamic Republic for de-escalation in the region said on Saturday that consultations between Tehran and Islamabad must be enhanced further keeping in view the regional situation.
Mohammad Ali Hosseini in his first ever interview to IRNA on Saturday after assuming charge of ambassador touched upon Iran-Pakistan ties, cooperation of the two countries on regional situation and US aggressive moves in the region.
The new ambassador presented his credentials to President of Pakistan Arif Alvi on Thursday.
Following the assassination of the IRGC Quds force commander Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani and his companions by the US, the ambassador held important meetings with Pakistan Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
He termed assassination of General Soleimani an open act of terrorism. He added that the American action had no justification and against all international norms.
The envoy noted all countries of the world except illegal Zionist regime have not supported this American action against Iran.
“Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani was a top official of Iranian armed forces who visited Iraq at the invitation of top Iraqi official but the US targeted him in an open act of terrorism,” viewed the envoy.
Hosseini went on to say that for the past many years, terrorist organizations like Daesh and al-Nusra Fronts had been trying to assassinate General Soleimani but failed, however Trump by taking this action accomplished terrorists agenda against Iran.
**Iran’s constructive role towards region
The Iranian ambassador giving details of his meetings with Pakistani senior and military officials said that Iran has never intended to escalate tensions rather we have tried our best to bring peace and stability in the region. “I believe that regional cooperation is a must to achieve this objective,” viewed the ambassador.
He said both sides during the meetings discussed religious, cultural and social commonalities that exist between Iran and Pakistan. “We have also discussed the common challenges and objectives which are necessary to strengthen bilateral ties,” said the envoy.
He added Iran enjoys very strong military cooperation with Pakistan and in recent months there were high level exchange of military and security delegations between the two countries.
Pakistani officials in the meetings appreciated Iran’s stance on de-escalation in the region. “Pakistani leadership in the meetings have expressed their readiness to enhance ties with Iran and vowed to support the Islamic Republic,” noted the diplomat.
He said that Pakistan has deep concerns over the regional situation and we have seen strong rejection of American actions against Iran in the people and senior officials of Pakistan.
The ambassador said Iran is fully aware of Pakistan’s efforts to reduce tensions in the region and bridging gaps among the regional states.
He said that Foreign Minister of Pakistan Shah Mahmood Qureshi would soon visit Iran to further enhance bilateral ties and reduce tensions in the region.
**Iran-Pakistan for boosting bilateral ties
Referring to the deep rooted historical ties between Iran and Pakistan, the envoy said enhancing ties with our neighboring states especially Pakistan is major part of our foreign policy.
He said Pakistan is an important Muslim country and taking into account the commonalities between the two countries we want to enhance our ties with Pakistan in all areas especially in political, social, military sectors.
He added that there is lot of room to enhance religious and medical tourism between Iran and Pakistan.
The ambassador went on to say that economies of Iran and Pakistan complement each other and that is why economic ties between the two states should be further enhanced.
He expressed the hope that Iran and Pakistan would boost their ties in the future as leaders of both countries have strong resolve to achieve that goal.
