PM arrives in Tehran on day-long official visit

Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived in Tehran on Sunday on a one-day official visit. Photo: Imran Khan Facebook

TEHRAN: Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived in Tehran on a day-long official visit on Sunday. The prime minister aims to promote peace and security in the region.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif received Prime Minister Imran Khan at the airport.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Special Assistant to PM on Overseas Pakistanis Zulfiqar Bukhari are accompanying the prime minister.

During the visit, PM Imran will have meetings with the Iranian leadership, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei and President Dr Hassan Rouhani.

Besides issues relating to peace and security in the Gulf, bilateral matters and important regional developments will be discussed during the prime minister’s visit to the country. 

This is the prime minister’s second visit to Iran this year.

The prime minister also had a bilateral meeting with the Iranian president on the sidelines of the 74th UNGA session in New York last month. 

After the Iran visit, the prime minister will also pay a visit to Saudi Arabia as part of his efforts to bridge differences between Tehran and Riyadh.

In recent days, there have been positive signals from both capitals for ironing out differences. Islamabad enjoys close relations with the two Muslim nations.

A day earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif  welcomed efforts for mediation with Saudi Arabia. 

“We’ve always been open to discussing anything with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is our neighbor. We’re going to be here together permanently,” Zarif said in an interview with TRT World.

“We don’t have any choice but to talk to each other, and we have been open to talking to Saudi Arabia either directly or through intermediaries,” Zarif noted.

When asked about PM Imran’s upcoming visit to Tehran, Zarif had said, “We’ve never rejected any intermediary… We’ve always been open to mediation, and we’ve always been open to direct talks with our Saudi neighbors.”

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