By IRNA,
Islamabad : Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Friday that Pakistan regards Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) pipeline project as of strategic significance and called for early implementation of the project.
The Prime Minister expressed these views while talking to the Foreign Minister of Iran, Manouchehr Mottaki, who called on him here at the Prime Minister’s House, an statement from the PM office said.
Gilani welcomed President Ahmedinejad’s desire expressed during his meeting with President Zardari in New York to proceed with this project on fast track basis, the statement said.
He stressed that Pakistan wants the gas that pipeline project should be initiated bilaterally between Pakistan and Iran while India could join afterwards whenever it so desires.
“The two sides should hence work earnestly for the early establishment of the Joint Financing Company for the IPI project”.
Outstanding issues must be resolved quickly and the Gas Sales and Purchase Agreement (GSPA) may be signed as early as possible, the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister while talking on the existing economic relations between the two countries regretted that despite the existence of institutional framework, bilateral economic and trade relations have remained far below their true potential.
The bilateral trade has not even touched $ one billion mark and the overall cooperation even in other economic fields are not commensurate with warmth in political relations.
He also urged enhanced people-to-people contact between the two countries and called for exchanges between the parliamentarians of Pakistan and Iran.
He also underscored the importance of further strengthening the bilateral and cultural ties between the two countries.
He said Pakistan attaches great importance to its brotherly relations with Iran, rooted in common history, culture, geography and faith.
While referring to President Asif Ali Zardari’s recent cordial and fruitful meeting with President Ahmedinejad, he recalled that the President of Pakistan had extended an invitation to President Ahmedinejad to visit Pakistan and hoped that this visit will soon materialize.
Foreign Minister, Mottaki termed the stability and security of Pakistan as stability and security of Iran.
He agreed with the Prime Minister on the need for expansion in relations in political, trade, investment, culture and other fields.
He assured the Prime Minister that Iran was determined to proceed with IPI project and hoped that during his visit the remaining issues relating to the project would also be resolved.
Iranian Foreign Minister extended invitation of his President and Senior Vice President to the Prime Minister to visit Iran.
Prime Minister thankfully accepted the invitation and informed him that time frame of the visit will be decided through diplomatic channels.
The meeting was attended by the Minister for foreign affairs, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Ambassador of Iran in Pakistan and other senior officials.