Pakistan’s Minister for Communications, Abdul Aleem Khan, has reaffirmed his government’s commitment to accelerating transport and trade cooperation with Iran, signalling a renewed push to strengthen economic ties between the two neighbors.
During a meeting in Islamabad with Iranian Ambassador Reza Amiri Moqaddam, Khan said that Pakistan will take all necessary steps to facilitate import and export operations and ensure the swift implementation of trade agreements already reached.
He announced that a joint session between Pakistan’s Ministry of Communications and the Iranian Embassy will be convened soon to review ongoing initiatives and expedite progress on key connectivity projects.
Highlighting recent progress, Khan noted that bilateral cooperation has grown stronger over the past six months and expressed optimism that the trade volume between Pakistan and Iran could reach $10 billion in the coming years.
He also pledged to resolve logistical challenges affecting the movement of Iranian commercial trucks across border crossings, a longstanding issue in cross-border trade.
Ambassador Moqaddam welcomed the commitment, describing the current level of bilateral relations as the highest in 40 years. He said that several high-level meetings are planned in the coming weeks to further consolidate cooperation in the transport, energy, and trade sectors.
In 2024, Pakistan and Iran set an ambitious target to raise their annual bilateral trade from around $3 billion to $10 billion. The two nations signed 12 new agreements covering sectors such as trade, agriculture, and technology, while also formalising a free trade pact to strengthen economic cooperation.
During the same period, Pakistan’s exports to Iran climbed to $842.8 million, whereas Iran’s non-oil exports to Pakistan reached $1.7 billion in the first nine months of the Iranian calendar year.
AEROSPACE AND DEFENCE | India, U.S. Sign 10-Year Defense Framework to Strengthen Cooperation
