By NNN-APP
Islamabad : Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki telephoned Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri on Friday and discussed with him issues of mutual interest including strengthening of bilateral relations.
Mottaki expressed gratitude to the government of Pakistan in swift and effective action for the release of 21 Iranian nationals taken hostage by armed bandits in the Seistan Balochistan Province of Iran and taken to Pakistani territory on Aug 19.
The hostages were freed by Pakistani authorities the very next day and were flown back to Iran from Quetta Thursday. Kasuri assured Mottaki that anyone with evil designs against Iran would not find any sanctuary in Pakistan.
The two foreign ministers also exchanged views about the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline and expressed the hope that the project which was of strategic importance would be concluded soon.
Mottaki invited Kasuri to attend the Ministerial Conference on Human Rights and Cultural Diversity being held in Tehran on Sept 3-4, under the umbrella of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).