Copy in clipboard...
Iran, Pakistan pledge to accelerate implementation of trade deals
Iranian Agriculture Minister Gholamreza Nouri Qezeljeh told reporters after a joint meeting with Pakistani agriculture and commerce ministers in Islamabad, “Iran and Pakistan are serious about achieving a common goal in trade,” emphasizing the implementation of joint agreements, especially in the agricultural sector.
He said the purpose of the visit to Pakistan is to follow up on agreements reached during President Masoud Pezeshkian's visit to Islamabad (in August), and deals that both ministers had reached in Tehran in trade, agricultural products, research and academic cooperation in agriculture and related areas.
“In today’s meeting, we also agreed to speed up projects aimed at developing the volume of trade exchanges between the two countries,” Nouri Qezeljeh added.
He said technical and operational meetings continued throughout the day.
At the joint meeting on Tuesday, Pakistani Agriculture Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain said, “Pakistan and Iran share longstanding ties, and we will use these capacities to expand joint trade by leveraging mutual capabilities in the agricultural sector.”
He added, “The process of advancing these relations will accelerate, and we are confident we will reach a desirable level in bilateral cooperation.”
According to IRNA, Pakistani Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan, speaking at the meeting, said that Tehran and Islamabad have a strong commitment to expanding joint cooperation.
“The leaders of the two countries are strong proponents of increasing the volume of joint trade to $10 billion, and in this regard, numerous measures and initiatives are underway between Iran and Pakistan so that we can achieve this common goal,” Jam Kamal Khan said.
He said Pakistan exports agricultural goods and citrus to Iran and imports a range of products in return, adding that the country has made significant progress in electronics and agriculture and that the two sides could also deepen cooperation in those sectors.
The Pakistani commerce minister said the two countries are working toward a free trade agreement, adding, “We are confident that with joint work and coordinated steps, we can reach a free trade agreement.”