Iranian FM Hossein Amir-Abdollahian reached Pakistan in the wee hours of Monday, at the invitation of Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani. On his arrival at the Nur Khan Airbase, the Iranian foreign minister was received by the Additional Foreign Secretary (Afghanistan and West Asia) of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rahim Hayat Qureshi. “During the visit, Foreign Minister Abdollahian will hold in-depth talks with Foreign Minister Jilani and call on Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar,” according to a Foreign Office statement. This high-level visit comes after both countries, in their joint press statement on January 22, had announced that the envoys of both countries would return to their respective posts and that the Iranian FM would visit Islamabad. Earlier, the relations between both the countries were strained after Iran violated Pakistan’s airspace this month which followed Pakistan’s military strike inside Iran to target the hideouts of the Pakistan-origin terrorists. Meanwhile, Iran offered condolences to Pakistan over the killing of nine of its labourers on its soil. Iranian envoy to Pakistan in his statement condemned the killings of Pakistani labourers in Iran and said Tehran and Islamabad will not tolerate affliction of damage to the countries’ relations. “Iran and Pakistan will not allow enemies to cause damage to the countries’ brotherly relations,” the Iranian envoy said in his statement.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)