Rouhani's Hope for Finding a 'Correct Path' to Resolve Issues with Saudi Arabia

Hassan Rouhani, at the end of his two-day visit to Pakistan, announced that Iran is not interested in continuing 'tension' with Saudi Arabia and expressed hope that a 'correct path' would be found soon to resolve the issues between the two countries. According to the state news agency IRNA, the Iranian president said on Saturday, April 7, at a press conference in Islamabad that Iran has always responded positively to countries that have tried to help resolve the 'tension' between the two countries, including Pakistan. Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, proposed mediation to reduce tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia during his visit to Tehran on January 18, 2016, stating that both countries welcomed the idea. Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran have been critical in recent years, especially after hundreds of people destroyed and set fire to the Saudi embassy and consulate in Iran on January 1, 2016, in protest against the execution of Sheikh Nimr, a Shia cleric, leading Riyadh to sever all relations with Tehran. Conflicts in Yemen and Syria have been among the main factors that have soured relations between the two countries in recent years. Meanwhile, Rouhani expressed hope that the ceasefire in Syria would 'provide the necessary conditions for continuing discussions between the Syrian government and the opposition so that these discussions could serve as a basis for holding future elections in Syria.' The Iranian president's remarks come as Kamal Kharrazi, head of Iran's Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, had previously declared the survival of Bashar al-Assad in power until the end of his presidential term a 'red line' for the Islamic Republic. Assad's current presidential term will continue until 2021. In this interview, Rouhani also stated that Iran has fulfilled its commitments regarding the construction of the 'Peace Pipeline,' but Pakistan has announced that it has been unable to meet its commitments due to sanctions. He expressed hope that with the lifting of Western sanctions against Iran, Pakistan would be able to fulfill its share of this project 'as soon as possible.' The 'Peace Pipeline,' intended to facilitate gas supply from Iran to Pakistan, has been a key topic of discussion between the leaders of the two countries in recent years. According to the signed agreement between the two countries, the pipeline was supposed to be operational by the end of December 2014, but it remains unfinished, with Iranian officials citing 'Pakistan's failure to meet its commitments' as the reason. According to ISNA news agency, Iran has so far constructed 900 kilometers of this pipeline on its territory, but Pakistan has been unable to advance the project due to financial difficulties. Nawaz Sharif had previously promised to address the status of this pipeline. However, reports indicate that a $1.5 billion grant from the Saudi government to Sharif's government is among the factors that have led this project to be informally considered abandoned. Rouhani's request for Pakistan to confront 'border disruptors' During his meeting with the commander of the Pakistani army, the Iranian president stated: 'A more serious and stronger will from Pakistan against those who intend to disrupt our common borders will turn these areas into borders of cooperation and security.' According to IRNA, Raheel Sharif, the commander of the Pakistani army, also announced in this meeting that 'we will soon witness a fundamental transformation in the security of the Iran-Pakistan borders' and 'we will not allow any action against Iran to be taken from Pakistani soil.' Before his trip to Pakistan, Rouhani had also called for the security agreement previously signed between the two countries to be 'operationalized and implemented' so that Iran could better secure its borders in the Sistan and Baluchestan province. Iranian military and security officials have criticized Islamabad in recent years for what they call 'delay' in securing the common borders. The Prime Minister of Pakistan had previously spoken of his country's 'determination' to cooperate with Iran in confronting the Jaish al-Adl group, an armed opposition group against the Islamic Republic, during his visit to Tehran on January 18, 2016. Rouhani, who arrived in Islamabad on Friday to a warm welcome from the Prime Minister of Pakistan, departed the capital for Tehran on Saturday evening, escorted by his Pakistani counterpart, Mamnoon Hussain. Rouhani's visit to Pakistan is the first official visit by an Iranian president to Pakistan in 14 years. During this trip, six cooperation documents in the fields of economics, diplomacy, and medicine were signed between the officials of the two countries. The foreign ministers, interior, oil, industry, mining and trade, energy, and health ministers, as well as the head of the central bank, the head of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, and the governor of Sistan and Baluchestan accompanied Rouhani on his trip to Pakistan.