Iran and Pakistan should not allow any third country to undermine relations between the two countries, a senior Iranian official says.
“We should not let any third countries, which do not favor security and good neighborliness between Iran and Pakistan, affect friendly ties between the two countries,” Secretary of Iran’s National Security Council Ali Shamkhani said on Wednesday.
He made the remarks in a meeting with Naseer Khan Janjua, Pakistan’s national security advisor, on the sidelines of a high-level international security summit in Russia’s northwestern city of Tver.
Last month, 10 Iranian border guards were killed and two others injured in an ambush attack near the town of Mirjaveh in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan-and-Baluchestan.
The so-called Jaish ul-Adl terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement. The assailants escaped into Pakistani territory immediately after the attack.
Shamkhani undefined the need for boosting security in border areas between Iran and Pakistan to prevent activities of terrorist groups.
The Pakistani official, for his part, welcomed further promotion of bilateral ties and said the Iranian foreign minister’s recent visit to Islamabad had resulted in more coordination between the two countries in fending off any act of violence at border areas.
Earlier this month, Mohamamd Javad Zarif visited Islamabad, where he held talks with senior Pakistani officials following the attack on the Iranian border guards.
Iran, China talk anti-terror campaign
Separately, Shamkhani also met with Meng Jianzhu, the secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission of China's Communist Party.
Shamkhani said the US was helping Takfiri terrorism in Syria by making up excuses and fabricating lies regarding last month’s suspected chemical attack on the town of Khan Shaykhun in the northwestern province of Idlib.
The Chinese official, for his part, expressed concern about US unilateralism in the region and said a recent US deal to sell Saudi Arabia arms worth billions of dollars undermined peace and security in the region.
The Chinese official also praised Iran’s role in the fight against terrorism and extremism, and underlined the need for constant consultations between Beijing and Tehran on the issue.
Shamkhani also held separate talks with his Turkish and North African counterparts.
