Addressing a joint meeting of high-ranking delegations from Iran and Pakistan in Islamabad on Monday, the Iranian president said the level of bilateral relations was inadequate compared to the mutual capacities, calling for efforts to increase interactions between the two sides in various economic, commercial, and cultural fields.
"We believe that with the existing capacities, we can transform the bilateral relations, and therefore, in the first step, we have agreed to reach a volume of $10 billion in bilateral trade," the president said.
He also stressed the significance of security, especially along the common borders, to enhance trade and border exchanges.
Raisi said his trip to Pakistan can be turning point in transforming bilateral relations between the two neighboring countries.
"Strengthening and deepening the relations between the two friendly nations of Iran and Pakistan may face opposition, but the determination and will of the leaders of the two countries to expand relations will overcome these oppositions," he asserted.
President Raisi also emphasized the importance of the exchange of trade and economic delegations between Iran and Pakistan, and called for the activation of a joint commission for economic cooperation to eliminate barriers to economic and commercial transactions.
Touching upon the security challenges in the region, Raisi said Iran and Pakistan, as two major Islamic countries in the region, can play a crucial role in bolstering regional security.
Furthermore, the Iranian president considered the Israeli regime's ongoing aggression against Palestinians as one of the consequences of the lack of unity among Islamic nations.
"Iran and Pakistan's cooperation in this area can provide a suitable platform for the greater involvement of Islamic countries in the path of unity and coherence of the Islamic community," he noted.
In the meeting, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hailed the strong and friendly relations between Pakistan and Iran. "The progress of each of the two countries, Iran and Pakistan, will lead to the mutual progress of the other country," he said.
Sharif also called for joint efforts to enhance security along the common borders, as well as expansion of border markets to boost economic prosperity of the border regions.
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