Iranian FM Zarif arrives on two-day visit

Iran’s Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad Zarif arrived in Islamabad on a two-day official visit on Tuesday to discuss bilateral issues as well as key regional developments.

Zarif is accompanied by a high-powered delegation, comprising senior political and economic officials.

The Iranian foreign minister will meet Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa. He is expected to call on Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Zarif’s visit to Pakistan forms part of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries. This is his fourth visit to Pakistan during the last two and a half years.

The visit of the Iranian foreign minister comes at an important juncture particularly against the backdrop of a host of developments.

The election of Joe Biden as the US president might bring new changes to the region as he wants to revive the Iranian nuclear deal, which former president Trump scrapped after coming to power.

The revival of Iranian nuclear deal will help Pakistan pursue some of the economic projects, including Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline that was halted due to the threat of US economic sanctions.

The visit is also important against the backdrop of Pakistan’s apparent hiccup in ties with Saudi Arabia, which wanted Islamabad to maintain distance from countries such as Iran, Turkey and Malaysia.