Ghalibaf made the remarks in a meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on Friday, emphasizing, “To achieve the trade target of reaching $10 billion in trade between the two countries, drastic steps must be taken in the banking, bartering, and free trade fields.”
The speaker, who has travelled to Pakistan at the head of a high-ranking parliamentary delegation, stated that the two countries need to develop economic, political, and security cooperation more than ever, so that the agreements signed by both sides during the Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's visit to Pakistan should be followed up.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Iranian parliament speaker thanked Pakistan during 12-day Israeli imposed war against the country, noting that Pakistan’s government stood by the Iranian people in this tough condition.
Referring to the allegations about Iran's nuclear program, he said, “We were in the middle of indirect negotiations with the United States in Oman when Israel attacked Iran, and the US president recently announced that the US was responsible for this attack.”
After the war was terminated, Iran entered into negotiations with the Europeans regarding the snapback mechanism, and an agreement was reached with the Atomic Energy Agency in Cairo, but the Europeans did not adhere to this agreement at the New York meeting.
The US does not want Islamic countries to grow and progress, while Islamic countries can stand against the US excessive demands with the unity, amity and cohesion, Ghalibaf stated.
The Iranian parliament speaker then pointed to the differences between Pakistan and Afghanistan, noting that Iran is ready to provide any assistance needed to resolve the differences.
Pakistan’s prime minister, for his part, said that the two countries, as two friendly countries, have always stood by each other in difficult times.
In the recent conflict in Pakistan, the Iranian nation and government stood by Pakistan, and the Pakistani nation and government stood by Iran in the 12-day war, Shehbaz Sharif maintained.
Pakistan supports Iran's possession of peaceful nuclear energy and uranium enrichment, he added.
