Iran's Raisi Visits Pakistan to Strengthen Ties

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi will travel to Islamabad to meet his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan's foreign ministry said, as the two countries seek to mend ties following deadly cross-border attacks this year.

Raisi will be accompanied by "a high-level delegation comprising the foreign minister, as well as a large business delegation," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi says Iran and Pakistan have “inseparable” bonds and are determined to bolster their relations in different fields at all levels.

He said Iran and Pakistan should make use of their great capacities to serve the interests of the two states and nations, adding that both sides agreed to improve relations in the economic, political, commercial and cultural fields.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi held talks with Pakistani leader Shebaz Sharif in Islamabad, in what experts said was a "significant" visit aimed at mending ties after the neighbors traded deadly cross-border strikes earlier this year.

"There are a number of common positions and a stance between the two countries when it comes, for instance, to combating terrorism. Both countries are determined to fight against terrorism, to fight against organized crime, to fight against narcotics and to fight against different forms and manifestations of insecurity, which endanger our two countries and at the same time the region," said Ebrahim Raisi, Iran President.

"Today offers us an opportunity to jointly bolster the relationship between Iran and Pakistan, and lay the foundations for prosperity and development along our borders." said Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan Prime Minister.

The three-day visit follows tit-for-tat missile strikes in January in the region of Balochistan, which straddles the two nations' porous border.