Pakistani PM to pay 2 day visit to Iran on May 11-12

Pakistani Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, will undertake an official visit to Iran from May 11-12, on the invitation of President Hassan Rouhani for talks on bilateral, regional and international issues, the Foreign Ministry said on Saturday. This would be the first leadership level visit since the formation of new governments in the two countries. The prime ministers' engagements in Tehran include bilateral meeting with President Rouhani and call on the Rahbar, Ayatollah Ali Khamenai, a Foreign Ministry statement said. The leadership level discussions would afford the two sides an opportunity to review the entire spectrum of bilateral relations as well as regional and international developments of mutual interest. A number of MoUs/Agreements on Cooperation in various fields would also be signed during the visit of the Prime Minister with a view to institutionalizing mutually beneficial cooperation. The visit of the prime minister to Iran would not only provide a political affirmation to our bilateral relations, but would also set a forward trajectory for their future course. "Consistent with the vision of the two leaderships, special focus would be attached to strengthening economic ties between Pakistan and Iran. In this context, the existing potential of bilateral trade would be reinforced through initiatives aimed at enhancing physical connectivity between the sides," a Foreign Ministry statement said. It said a peaceful neighborhood remains a key priority of the government. Iran is an important pivot in this policy. A high-ranking delegation including adviser to the prime minister on national security and foreign affairs, minister for finance, revenue, economic affairs, statistics and privatization, minister for petroleum and natural resources, special assistant to the prime minister on foreign affairs and chief minister of Balochistan will accompany the prime minister.