ISLAMABAD, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan and Iran here on Monday reaffirmed their commitment to expanding bilateral cooperation, particularly in the areas of trade, energy, connectivity, culture, and people-to-people contacts, said a statement from the Pakistani Prime Minister's Office.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with visiting Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi here and discussed a wide range of bilateral relations and exchanged views on important regional and global developments.
Ministers and senior officials from both sides were present at the meeting, where both sides agreed to increase the volume of bilateral trade to 10 billion U.S. dollars in the next five years, said the statement.
The two leaders also agreed to cooperate in developing joint approaches to confront common challenges, including the threat of terrorism.
Following the meeting, both leaders witnessed the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding between the two countries in eight different fields, including trade, science, technology, agriculture, health, culture, judicial matters, special zone, and legal cooperation.
Raisi, who arrived in Islamabad on Monday on a three-day visit, told a joint press conference that Iran and Pakistan remain committed to strengthening relations at high levels, adding that economic and trade volume between the two countries is not acceptable at all and should be increased.
The Iranian president is also scheduled to meet the Pakistani president, Senate chairman and National Assembly speaker before visiting the capitals of southern Sindh province and eastern Punjab province to meet the provincial leadership. ■
