Signing of Six Cooperation Agreements Between Iran and Pakistan During Rouhani's Visit

Iranian and Pakistani officials signed six cooperation agreements in economic, diplomatic, and medical fields on Friday, April 6, following a meeting between the presidents of the two countries at the Prime Minister's Office in Pakistan. According to the state news agency IRNA, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani attended a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after signing the documents. On Friday evening, Rouhani met with the Prime Minister to discuss 'economic, regional, and international cooperation'. Following this meeting, strategic five-year trade program documents, cooperation between the chambers of commerce of the two countries, collaboration between Iran's Central Insurance and Pakistan's Securities Commission, and mutual cooperation in medical fields were signed by officials from both countries. Other agreements included cooperation between the Political Studies Office of Iran's Foreign Ministry and the Karachi Council on Foreign Relations, as well as collaboration between the Diplomatic Academy of Pakistan's Foreign Ministry and the School of International Relations of Iran's Foreign Ministry. The Iranian President arrived in Pakistan at the head of a high-ranking economic and political delegation for a two-day visit and was welcomed at Islamabad Airport by Nawaz Sharif. According to IRNA, concurrently with Rouhani's visit, a delegation of 'about 60' Iranian traders and businessmen traveled to Pakistan. This visit marks the first official visit by an Iranian president to Pakistan in the past 14 years. Prior to this trip, Rouhani described the relations between the two countries as 'strategic' and stated that Iran is 'ready to expand and develop relations' with Pakistan in various fields, including economic relations and energy supply. He emphasized that the security agreement previously signed between the two countries 'must be operationalized and implemented' so that Iran can better secure its borders in the Sistan and Baluchestan province. He mentioned 'security relations and combating terrorism' as other topics that officials from both countries would discuss. In recent years, Iranian military and security officials have criticized Islamabad for what they call 'delay' in securing the shared borders. The Prime Minister of Pakistan, during his visit to Tehran on January 18, spoke of his country's 'determination' to cooperate with Iran in combating the Jaish al-Adl group, an armed opposition group against the Islamic Republic. This visit occurred after the attack on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran and the severing of relations between the two countries, during which Nawaz Sharif proposed mediating to reduce tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The 'Peace Pipeline', which is intended to facilitate gas supply from Iran to Pakistan, has also been a focal point of discussions between the leaders of the two countries in recent years. According to the signed contract between the two countries, this pipeline was supposed to be operational by the end of December 2014, but it remains incomplete, with Iranian officials attributing this to 'Pakistan's failure to meet its commitments'. According to ISNA, Iran has so far constructed 900 kilometers of this pipeline on its territory, but Pakistan has not been able to advance this project due to financial problems. 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 to this project being informally deemed abandoned. Foreign ministers, interior, oil, industry, mining and trade, energy, 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 accompany Rouhani on his trip to Pakistan.