ISLAMABAD, NOV 10 (DNA) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Tuesday arrives in Islamabad on a two-day official visit to Pakistan.

Iranian FM Mohammad Javad Zarif is accompanied by a delegation including special envoy for Afghanistan Mohammad Ebrahim Taheriyan. According to diplomatic sources Zarif will hold meetings with Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa during his visit.

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a twitter message outlined details of his upcoming tour to Pakistan. “Top-level talks on bilateral and regional issues with brothers Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Prime Minister Imran Khan in Pakistan,” Zarif wrote in his Twitter account.

“Visit follows Iqbal Day, celebrating great Islamic scholar, international poet and tireless promoter of Muslim unity who ties together our two nations,” he added.  Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said Zarif is to head a high-ranking political and economic delegation and will have meetings with Pakistani political and military officials.

Zarif is to meet with Pakistan Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, he added.  Pakistan is a strategic, friendly and Muslim neighbor for Iran which has always been of special significance to Iranian officials, to the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in particular, the IRNA reported Tuesday.

The current regional and international developments give double importance to a Tuesday visit to Islamabad by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.  Although the cordial relations between Iran and Pakistan have never been tied to extra-regional issues and the two countries have never allowed third parties to affect their relations, some recent developments in the international arena add to the significance of Zarif’s visit to the southeastern neighborly country

One of the events which may give special importance to Iranian foreign minister’s visit to Pakistan is its coincidence with strong signs of the end of a unilateral and bullying government in Washington.

Zarif has previously paid 10 visits to Islamabad as Iranian foreign minister which shows how important Pakistan has been for Iran as a major destination for his foreign visits.

In 1947, Iran was the first country that recognized independence of Pakistan and reciprocally Pakistan was the first country to recognize Islamic Republic of Iran after a 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Iran and Pakistan have had cordial relations both before and after the victory of the Islamic Revolution. Even the foreign-sponsored terrorists who occasionally carry out terrorist attacks along the joint border of the two countries to damage relations between Tehran and Pakistan, have failed to do so.

However, the trade and economic relations between the two neighboring countries is not satisfactory as they, with more that 300 million population together, can provide a significant market for each other. = DNA

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