TEHRAN, March 26 (Shana) - President Hassan Rouhani said that completion and launching of the pipeline to carry Iran's gas to neighboring Pakistan will be in the interests of both nations.

He made the remarks during bilateral negotiations with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on the first day of his visit to Islamabad on Friday in which high-ranking members of the two countries including the Iranian Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh were also present, according to the website of Presidential Office.

'Completion and launching of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline are in the interests of the two nations and can contribute to the economic development of the two countries particularly Pakistan,' the president said welcoming increased cooperation in the fields of energy and electricity.

He said Iran and Pakistan can increase their bilateral trade to 5 billion dollars a year and said to this end, relations of the private sectors need to be facilitated and strengthened.

'Supporting border markets, connection of transit roads, facilitating free trade and cooperation of Chabahar and Gwadar ports will increase bilateral economic cooperation which is the wish of peoples of Iran and Pakistan,' he added.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Sharif welcomed expansion of trade to 5 billion dollars as well as launching the gas pipeline and increasing of ties between Chabahar and Gwadar ports.

He also said that Islamabad is ready to cooperate with Tehran against terrorism and said, 'Government of Pakistan stands beside Iran in the fight against terrorism and extremism and in eradicating them.'

By SHANA