Iran, Pakistan Discuss Banking, Energy Ties

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Pakistani counterpart Khawaja Muhammad Asif have discussed issues of mutual interest in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku.

During the Friday talks, the two sides discussed bilateral relations, especially banking and energy cooperation.

Earlier in the day, the Iranian top diplomat also met his Azeri counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov and discussed bilateral relations and regional issues with him.

Zarif held the meetings on the sidelines of the Heart of Asia Conference, the new round of which was held in Baku.

Since its inception in 2011, the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process has been a regional venue for high level political consultation among countries from the three geographically interconnected regions of the Caspian and Central Asia, the Middle East, and South Asia all connected through Afghanistan – the Heart of Asia.

The process brings together 14 countries as participating states to work for regional cooperation in some of the least integrated regions of the world. Seventeen countries from outside the region and twelve regional and international organizations are supporting the agenda of Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process.

The Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process was established to provide a platform to discuss regional issues, particularly encouraging security, political, and economic cooperation among Afghanistan and its neighbours.

The region-led dialogue was launched in November 2011 to expand practical coordination between Afghanistan and its neighbours and regional partners in facing common threats, including counterterrorism, counter-narcotics, poverty, and extremism.

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