Pakistan says Zarif’s visit improved bilateral ties

At a press conference in Islamabad on Friday, Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasneem Aslam hailed Iran-Pakistan cooperation in securing the borders between the two neighbors.
 
    “Pakistan and Iran are using good methods to control traffic across their shared border region and both countries believe that criminals’ activities in this area are not in the interests of Iran and Pakistan,” Aslam stated.
 
Heading a political-parliamentary delegation, Zarif visited the Pakistani capital on December 19, 2013, to participate in and deliver a speech to the 16th Session of the D8 Council of Ministers.
 
During his day-long visit, the senior Iranian diplomat also held talks with Pakistani officials, including Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
 
During the talks, Zarif expressed the Islamic Republic’s readiness to bolster Tehran-Islamabad ties in the economic, political and cultural areas.
 
In February 2013, Iran and Pakistan signed a security agreement under which both countries are required to cooperate in preventing and combating organized crime, fighting terrorism and countering activities which pose a threat to the national security of either country.
 
However, the concerns were revived after 14 Iranian border guards lost their lives and six more were injured in a shooting assault in the border region of Saravan in Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan on October 25, 2013.
 
The assailants, who had infiltrated into Iran from Pakistan, fled back into the Pakistani territory following the attack.
 
On October 28, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry denounced the terrorist attack against the Iranian border guards, vowing to make every effort to identify those behind the assault.