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Regional peace is dependent upon wider cooperation within West Asia: Pak Army Chief to Iran

Islamabad: Pakistan’s Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has told the visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif that ‘wider cooperation in West Asia is needed’ to tackle security challenges threatening the region.

A report in the Dawn said, “Regional peace is dependent upon wider cooperation within West Asia. We all need to cooperate to root out transnational security/crimes threat,” Gen Bajwa, according to army’s media wing, told the visiting foreign minister who called on him at the General Headquarters on the last day of his three-day visit.

Pakistan and Iran are on the opposite sides in Middle Eastern politics. Pakistan has in the past tried to mediate between Saudi Arabia and Qatar and Saudi Arabia and Iran, but could not convince Riyadh to accept its good offices.

Gen Bajwa, who visited Tehran late last year, is often credited for the recent improvements in Pakistan-Iran ties.

During his three-day visit, Zarif has been pushing Pakistan to play its role in defusing the tensions in the region and contribute to materialisation of a new paradigm of “understanding and inclusion” that he calls “a neighbourhood paradigm”.

Yestrday, Zarif had said that Iran has offered China and Pakistan to participate in the Chahbahar seaport project.

Zarif also added that the Chahbahar should be liked with with the Gwadar Port as he sought to allay concerns here over Indian involvement in the Iranian port.

“We offered to participate in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). We have also offered Pakistan and China to participate in Chahbahar,” Zarif said while delivering a lecture at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) that had been held to commemorate 70th anniversary of establishment of Pak-Iran diplomatic relations.

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