Islamabad:President of Islamic Republic of Iran Dr.Hassan Rouhani spoke to Pakistani media in a press conference in Islamabad at the end of his two-day trip to Pakistan and explained plans and achievements of the trip, as well as Iran’s readiness to strengthen and deepen ties with pakistan,during a trip Iranian President met with PM Nawaz Sharief,President Mamnoon Hussain,Army General Raheel Sharief and many other delegations.
In this conference which was held late on Saturday,Dr Rouhani expressed hope that relations and cooperation between the two countries become further developed day by day.
On agreements on energy and delivering Iran’s natural gas to Pakistan, he added: “Today, the gas pipeline has been completed from the Iranian part to the borders of Pakistan and the rest should be completed on the country’s soil”.
President Rouhani also stressed cooperation in the fields of ports, customs, shipping, road and rail connections and developing cultural and academic cooperation with regard to Persian language in Pakistan, as well as scientific and technological cooperation.
Referring to common projects such as delivering natural gas to Pakistan, he said: “In the coming months, we will be able to deliver any amount of natural gas that Pakistan needs”.
“If the two ports”, he said referring to Chabahar and Gwadar ports, “be connected with each other, all East Asia countries, including China, will benefit from it”.
“We discussed regional issues with Pakistani officials and we share viewpoints on solving the issues that the region is facing” he added.
Dr Rouhani continued: “JCPOA agreement can be a model in this field and we can use it to solve other issues in the region”.
On Syrian peace talks and tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia, he also said: “Syria is grappling with terrorism and steps have been taken in this regard. Disagreements should be solved through discussion. There were discords between Iran and Saudi Arabia with regard to ISIS and other groups in the past and there is the emphasis that terrorist groups should be dealt with”.
He also called for refraining from buying ISIS oil and said that all countries should participate in Syrian peace talks.
“We do not favour elevation of tensions with Saudi Arabia. Iran is a great country in the Muslim World and Saudi Arabia also has a special place” he continued.
Answering a question about instances of illegal breach of shared borders, he said: “These breaches have not been from the Iranian side, but rather, from the Pakistani soil and in this regard, there is a need for further cooperation and combatting terrorism”.
The President also described ways that Iran and Pakistan can contribute to establishing security in Afghanistan and said: “We had constructive negotiations with Mr Nawaz Sharif about Afghanistan and development of cooperation between the three countries”.
Stressing the need to close Iran-Pakistan relations for creating east and west corridor, Rouhani continued: “In post-sanctions era, we had better interactions with other countries of the world, especially our friends in the region”.
In another Event Addressing a gathering of Pakistani scholars and intellectuals in the capital city, Islamabad, on Saturday and on the second day of his two-day official visit to Iran’s eastern neighbor, Rouhani said unity is the only remedy to problems from which both Shia and Sunni Muslims are suffering.
Rouhani noted that religious schools in Islamic countries should teach students in Islamic unity, because if Muslims want to overcome the existing crises in the Islamic world, they have no choice, but to foster unity among Muslim societies.
He said Islam is the religion of moderation and moral values, adding that the nature of Shia Muslims is not based on confrontation with Sunnis.
The Iranian president also warned that those, who are sowing discord between Shia and Sunni Muslims, have no intention but to completely undermine ruin both of these Islamic denominations.
“Is it possible to see in the world today, when Islam and the Qur’an have so many enemies, that one is creating distance between this and that faith?” Rouhani asked.
Emphasizing that Muslims need to take advantage of the power of Islam and reinforce their unity, the Iranian president added, “We need to boost our Islamic identity.”
Rouhani, however, cautioned that unity will not be attained as long as all denominations of Islam are not respected.
He also stressed the importance of promoting the culture of true Islam, saying, “The Culture of the Qur’an needs to be promoted to confront enemies’ threats.”
The Iranian president went on to note that Muslims should increase their power through pursuing science and knowledge, adding that all men and women scholars need to work together to boost the power of Islam.
“Enemies want the tree of Islam to be fruitless. Muslims need to revive true Islam,” the Iranian president pointed out.