(June 23): Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is scheduled to arrive in Islamabad on Tuesday to discuss greater cooperation in security, trade and other areas, in the latest sign of closer ties between the countries following the US-Iran truce that Pakistan helped mediate.
Pezeshkian is set to meet with his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari, as well as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan’s foreign minister and speaker of the national assembly. It will be Pezeshkian’s second visit to Islamabad as president, according to Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry.
The visit is another sign of closer ties between the neighbouring countries after Pakistan’s central role in mediating the US-Iran conflict. The war launched by the US and Israel in February upended global energy supplies, pushed oil prices to almost two-decade highs and left thousands dead.
In their meeting Tuesday, Pakistan and Iran are set to discuss diplomatic engagements, as well as regional and international developments of mutual interest, Pakistan said Monday evening. The two sides will also explore deeper cooperation in areas such as trade, energy, border security, people-to-people exchanges and regional connectivity.
Authorities in Islamabad blocked off large swathes of the city in advance of Pezeshkian’s visit. Routes leading to the area housing the main central government offices, known as the red zone, have been closed for security reasons. The government also announced work-from-home for most departments in the red zone.
Pakistan and Iran have longstanding ties. The two countries share a roughly 900-kilometre (559.23 miles) border and have mixed economic cooperation with occasional clashes over militants operating in their shared frontier.
See also: Oil waiver offers lifeline to Iran as talks with US proceed
Energy has long been a central part of the relationship, with a long-delayed Iran-to-Pakistan gas pipeline held up in part due to Pakistan’s wariness of running afoul on longstanding US sanctions.
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