Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has criticized the western nations for arming Ukraine, as he delivered the joint statement Pakistan’s foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in Islamabad on Thursday.
"We believe that war is not the way. It is not the solution. We believe that it is a source of great concern that western countries keep arming Ukraine. Supplying weapons and arms to either side is going to result in more killings, more carnage and more destruction," the top Iranian diplomat said.
What Did Iranian FM Discuss With Zardari During His Visit to Pakistan?
Among other regional issues, Abdollahian said that the situation in Afghanistan should be resolved through "framework of regional initiatives".
Abdollahian called for increasing economic, trade and tourism ties under regional mechanisms.
He said that both the countries were committed to boost their bilateral trade ties to $5 billion under a five-year plan from 2023 to 2028, and have agreed to establish a “special economic zone” along the border crossings.
Zardari said that he and his Iranian counterpart “reviewed regional developments and cooperation in the international arena”.
“We believe that our prosperity and development is firmly intertwined with peace and stability of our neighbourhood and our region,” the Pakistani FM said.
Zardari said that the “wide-ranging talks” between the two sides encompassed discussions on Afghanistan and Kashmir among other matters, during which they agreed to increase engagements on Afghanistan to advance peace and stability in the nation and “promote peace and prosperity of our Afghan brothers and sisters”.
Both nations would further "leverage" their locations as "conduits" between south, central and west Asia.
The Pakistani FM also said that both the ministers have agreed to operationalize five “border markets” by the end of this year to boost economic interactions.