Islamabad, Jan 11, IRNA -- The Prime Minister of Pakistan said on Monday that Pakistan has very strong relations and good understanding with Iran, calling for good neighborly relations with the regional states.
Imran Khan made the remarks in a meeting with researchers and senior media persons on Monday.
He said that when Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Government came into power, the ties with Iran may not have been satisfactory, but today "I can say that there are excellent relations between the two countries."
"We have a good understanding with Iran to develop relations," said the Pakistani prime minister, who has always stressed the need for an immediate lifting of illegal US sanctions.
Reacting to the decision of Iran, Pakistan and Turkey to launch the ECO container train and the simultaneous opening of the second official border between Iran and Pakistan, Imran Khan said anti-Iran sanctions sabotage development of trade between the Iran and Pakistan.
“Unfortunately, Iran faces sanctions that hamper expansion of trade cooperation with Pakistan,” he said.
Speaking at an International Conference on Peace and Development in South Asia and the Middle East in Islamabad in late October, the Pakistani Prime Minister said that Pakistan could benefit from Iran's economic potential if anti-Iranian sanctions were lifted and relations between Tehran and Washington improved.
Expressing hope for the resumption of talks between Iran and the West, he stressed: "If the sanctions are lifted, the Islamic Republic of Iran has the capacity to become a real economic power in the region."
