Iran, Pakistan reiterate regional co-op, abhor foreign interference

In a telephone conversation on Sunday night Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari urged regional states to foil enemies’ plots through close cooperation.

Ahmadinejad said he is sure that the Pakistani government and people vigilantly prevent the hegemonic powers from achieving their evil goals.

Ahmadinejad added that bombing incidents in Pakistan have irritated all regional countries, saying all regional states consider security in Pakistan “as their own”.

Tehran is ready to provide any sort of assistance to Islamabad to secure its country, he stated.

Zardari also said that foreign forces have added to insecurity in the region, adding that the Pakistani people will foil the enemy’s plots with the help of other nations including Iran.

The two presidents also insisted on the need to accelerate efforts to build the gas pipeline project– also known as peace pipeline - which is expected to carry Iran’s gas to energy-starved Pakistan and possibly India.

India is hesitant to join the project.

Iran, Pakistan, and India conceptualized the gas pipeline project in the 1990s, dubbed as the IPI, to help boost peace and security in the region.

AA/PA

END

MNA