President Raisi, who traveled to the neighboring country at the invitation of his Pakistani counterpart, Asif Ali Zardari, was received in Islamabad by the country’s Foreign Minister, Mohammad Ishaq Dar.
The Iranian president said the two countries were “more than just neighbors,” adding that both sides must implement potentials to further boost their ties to meet their interests.
He said: “Although some foreigners do not wish to strengthen Iran-Pakistan relations, considering the diverse, numerous and mutually existing capabilities of the two Islamic countries, their relations should be further expanded to ensure the interests of the two. nations.”
Meanwhile, the Iranian president held a press conference with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, where he welcomed Raisi in Iran’s official language, Persian.
Raisi told the media that political interactions between Iran and Pakistan have been below expectations: “That is why we have decided to improve relations in the political, economic, commercial and cultural fields at all levels.”
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s prime minister said he was pleased to meet the first high-ranking foreign official since the new administration took power in the country in February.
Both sides called on the international community, especially the Muslim world, to defend the people of Gaza amid months of Israeli carnage in the defeated Palestinian enclave.