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Iran's President arrives in Pakistan for a 2-day visit amid tensions in West Asia
Iran's President Dr Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in Pakistan on Saturday for a two-day visit to the neighbouring nation. According to Pakistani news outlet The Express Tribune, the visit came at the invitation of Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
As per the report, Pezeshkian arrived in the country accompanied by a high-level delegation including the Foreign Minister of Iran, Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, senior ministers, and other high-ranking officials. According to the statment released by Pakistan's Foreign Office, during his stay, Pezeshkian will meet with his Pakistani counterpart, President Asif Ali Zardari.
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The Iranian team would also hold delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. This marks Dr Pezeshkian's first official visit to Pakistan as the President of Iran.
What makes the visit crucial is the fact that it is taking place after the 12-day Iran-Israel war, along with the regional developments that followed.
According to The Express Tribune, the Iranian president is scheduled to visit the Mausoleum of Poet Dr Muhammad Allama Iqbal in Lahore. After that, he would then travel to Islamabad, where he would have a series of meetings with Pakistan's civil and military leaders, including the President, Prime Minister and the Army Chief.
The discussions between both sides are expected to focus on strengthening bilateral relations, which span political, economic, religious, and cultural dimensions. The Israel-Hamas war will also be one of the topics of discussion.
During the Indian-Pakistan 4-day military escalation, Iran offered to be a mediator between the two nuclear-powered nations. In light of this, Iran's Foreign Minister travelled to both New Delhi and Islamabad to prevent the situation from further escalation. However, a ceasefire between India and Pakistan was reached bilaterally after four days of fighting.
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