Deputy PM to Visit Iran for ECO Meeting Next Week

Celina Ali

Islamabad: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, will visit Iran on December 2-3 to attend the 28th meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) Council of Ministers, the Pakistani Foreign Office said.

Dar will sign the charter for the establishment of an ECO Clean Energy Centre and hold bilateral discussions with various ministers and dignitaries on the sidelines of the event, according to Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch.

In addition to economic matters, Dar will reiterate Pakistan’s concerns about the ongoing hostilities in the Middle East, particularly the instability in Gaza and Lebanon, which threaten regional peace and security.

This visit follows Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi’s recent two-day trip to Islamabad, where he engaged with Pakistani officials on the Middle East situation and discussed strengthening bilateral relations.

Both countries have signed several agreements in fields such as trade, technology, agriculture and health.

In April, the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visited Pakistan to promote bilateral cooperation.