TEHRAN: President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday proposed a currency
swap agreement between Pakistan and Iran to further strengthen the
bilateral trade and economic ties between the two brotherly countries.
The
President made this proposal during his meeting with Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmedinejad here on Saturday. He said Pakistan is already in
dialogue process with Turkey,
Sri Lanka and China for the
currency swap arrangement. President Zardari, who arrived in the
Iranian capital on a day-long visit held two rounds of talks with
President Ahmedinejad, first the delegation level talks and then one on
one meeting. The two leaders agreed on adopting regional approach to
addressing the growing challenge of extremism and militancy.
President
Zardari and President Ahmedinejad expressed the confidence that joint
efforts would prove helpful in countering terrorism, which was a common
enemy for entire region and the world. He mentioned the long drawn
fight against militancy and stressed the need for long-term measures
and joint efforts to eliminate this menace.
Spokesman to the
President Farhatullah Babar briefing the media said that President
Zardari held wide ranging parleys with President Ahmedinejad, with
focus on establishing a comprehensive strategic and economic
partnership between the two countries. The two leaders expressed their
resolve to upgrade and further intensify their existing bilateral ties,
particularly in the energy, trade and economic fields, for the mutual
benefit of two brotherly countries.
The two leaders held
in-depth discussions that covered the entire spectrum of bilateral ties
and the regional and international issues of mutual interest. The
discussion also focused on the ways and means to further intensify
their mutually beneficial cooperation in all areas of common interest.
The two sides agreed on the need to expand, strengthen and take their
bilateral cooperation in diverse fields to the level, which
commensurate their warm, deep rooted and historic ties.
President
Zardari lauded Iran’s constructive engagement in the trilateral process
and in this respect mentioned the last month’s
Pakistan-Iran-Afghanistan Trilateral Summit hosted by Tehran. He
proposed to the Iranian government to consider creating an Integrated
Border Management Regime between Pakistan and Iran, adding that both
the sides need to intensify consultations and take pragmatic steps for
meeting the challenge of militancy and extremism.
He said
Pakistan and Iran have vital interests in the stability and peace of
the region. President Zardari mentioned the growing problem of
narcotics and human trafficking in the region which he said required
mutual coordination among the governments. He said that Pakistan and
Iran face a common menace of drug trafficking across their borders and
expressed the hope that a mechanism in the form of trilateral
initiative involving Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran would help counter
narcotics trafficking in the region.
The two leaders also
discussed cooperation in the energy sector with particular reference to
the Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline project besides supply of power
from Iran to Balochistan. President Zardari said Pakistan and Iran had
the potential to undertaking joint economic projects in Afghanistan in
order to enhance connectivity, build infrastructure, rail and road
links as well as trilateral cooperation in other mega projects.
The
Iranian President also agreed on taking full advantage for
geo-strategic locations for ushering in new era of development in two
countries in particular, and in the whole region. The President urged
for further deepening Pak-Iran bilateral cooperation in all areas
particularly trade, energy, security, communication and infrastructure.
Pakistan attaches great importance to its cordial equation with
Iran and regards Iran as an important friend and player in the region,
he added.
President Zardari recalled that he had discussed up
gradation of Pakistan-Iran-Turkey rail transport system with Turkish
President Abdullah Gul. He said it could prove as a win-win mega
project that would enhance regional connectivity and boost regional
trade. Zardari said that considerable work had been done in the
Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project and it was important now to move
towards the implementation phase of the project.
Zardari said
there was a need to bring about a quantitative increase in Pak-Iran
bilateral trade to at least four billion dollars in the next few years
which at present was one billion dollars. He called for working
together to identify impediments to full implementation of Pak-Iran
Preferential Trade Agreement concluded in 2006. He also proposed for a
bilateral Pakistan-Iran Free Trade Agreement.
On developments
in Afghanistan, President Zardari said Pakistan supports the process
initiated by President Karzai for national reconciliation and peace in
Afghanistan. He said Pakistan supported a reconciliation process which
must be Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process, adding that the Pakistan
government was ready to provide all possible assistance in capacity-
building of Afghan institutions. Online
