Islamabad, AUG 25 — The Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Pakistan stressed the importance of the visit of Pakistani Foreign Minister to Tehran and its impact on strengthening joint regional cooperation, and said Tehran and Islamabad desire lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Seyed Mohammad Ali Hosseini in an exclusive interview with IRNA in Islamabad on Wednesday said Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s visit is considered very important at this critical time because Iran and Pakistan as two main neighbors of Afghanistan have been exposed to the consequences of the 20-year occupation of the country by the United States and its Western allies.

He added Pakistan’s foreign minister is visiting Tehran for the second time in less than six months and now Qureshi is the first high-ranking diplomatic official of the government to travel to Tehran with the beginning of the 13th government in Iran.

Hosseini said that Iran and Pakistan have had good coordination on Afghanistan in recent years and have always held close consultations with each other.

The ambassador added Iran and Pakistan, as the two main neighbors of Afghanistan understand the suffering of Afghans people.

“Both countries have common and close positions on Afghan peace and believe that the peace should be implemented without foreign interference and with the participation of all Afghan internal groups.” He noted.

He said Tehran and Islamabad are opposed to military solutions to resolve the crisis in Afghanistan and emphasize the formation of an inclusive and national government.

The Iranian ambassador to Pakistan added during Qureshi’s visit to Tehran, in addition to reviewing a wide range of regional issues and developments in Afghanistan, bilateral cooperation, trade and strengthening border relations between the two countries will also be discussed.

He said during the visit of the Pakistani Foreign Minister to Iran in May this year, the third official border between the two countries was inaugurated and Qureshi’s current visit to Tehran is expected to have fruitful results for developing trade and economic relations, especially improving border cooperation.

Hosseini noted the Islamic Republic of Iran emphasizes the need for convergence and participation of all countries in the region, especially neighbors to achieve common goals of peace, prosperity, development and collective security.

The Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson yesterday stated that the Pakistani Foreign Minister will arrive in Tehran on Thursday.

In response to a question about the purpose of Qureshi’s visit to Iran, Khatibzadeh said: This visit is at the request of the Pakistani Foreign Minister and the main agenda of the visit will be bilateral matters and Afghanistan.

The Pakistani foreign minister met with the Tajik president and foreign minister in Dushanbe today as part of his first regional tour. Later he traveled to Tashkent, where he is scheduled to meet with senior Uzbek government officials.