During the meeting in the Russian capital today, Larijani and Sadiq explored avenues for bolstering and reinvigorating mutual cooperation in different fields, specially the security-related issues such as fighting drug trafficking and terrorism.

Both officials also discussed bolstering cooperation between the two neighboring and friendly states in other areas.

The Iranian parliament speaker also called for exchanging parliamentary experience during the International Conference on Fighting Drugs slated to open Monday.

The conference has brought together parliament speakers from over 40 countries, including Iran.

In relevant remarks in November, Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Mehdi Honardoust underlined that Tehran and Islamabad are resolved to further broaden and strengthen bilateral relations and mutual cooperation.

He said Iran and Pakistan are determined to boost relationship, which was “completely opposite to the Western apparatus, creators of division among Muslim societies, which unfortunately has been evident in recent years. The Muslim societies have been under fire of division, which is exactly being pursued by foreign elements.”

In a relevant development also in November, Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri and Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa in a meeting in Tehran underlined the need to expand defense and military cooperation between the two countries.

During the meeting in the Iranian capital, the top Iranian and Pakistani generals underlined the need for enhanced security and defense cooperation between Tehran and Islamabad.

General Javed Bajwa, heading a high-ranking military delegation traveled to Tehran at the invitation of General Baqeri.

The two army chiefs stressed the need for expansion of defense and security relations aimed at resolving common issues, particularly in identifying and combating factors that cause the spread of terrorist activities along Iran and Pakistan’s shared borders.

Making optimal use of existing capacities in various international and regional communities, using the two countries’ defense and political potentials to help settle regional conflicts, and joint cooperation between the two sides free of foreign intervention were also among the topics of discussion in the meeting.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif traveled to Pakistan in May and the countries agreed to increase cooperation towards boosting security in their border areas by setting up a joint security committee.

The visit at the head of a high-ranking political, military, law enforcement, and security delegation came a month after 10 Iranian border guards were killed and two others injured in an ambush near the town of Mirjaveh in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchestan.