FNA- Iranian and Pakistani officials in a meeting in Karachi underlined the need for expanding mutual cooperation between the two countries.

During the meeting in Karachi on Saturday, Iran's Consul General in Karachi Ahmad Mohammadi and Head of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industries Zubair Tufail explored avenues for bolstering and reinvigorating bilateral relations to develop and boost trade cooperation between the two countries.

During the meeting, the two sides underlined the need to remove the existing obstacles in the way of banking cooperation with the aim to prepare grounds for jumping in trade ties level.

The two sides discussed different issues such as development of bilateral relations, opening Letter of Credit (LC) through banking system of the two countries, putting value on Iran's export goods in Pakistan Customs, presence of Iranian companies in technical and engineering services projects in Pakistan.

In relevant remarks earlier in May, Iran's Consul General in Quetta Mohammad Rafiyee underlined the high capacities for cooperation between Tehran and Islamabad, and said the two countries can considerably increase their trade exchanges.

"The trade exchanges between Iran and Pakistan can hit $5 billion within next five years which will be beneficial to both countries," Rafiyee said.

He pointed to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif's recent visit to Pakistan, and said, "Zarif had meetings with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, interior minister, national security adviser, speaker of the National Assembly and army chief and sought better cooperation from Pakistan to bring the terrorists of the recent terrorist attack on Iranian border guards to justice."

In relevant remarks in mid-April, Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli underlined that Tehran and Islamabad are resolved to considerably broaden their trade relations.

�The value of Iran-Pakistan trade balance is predicted to hit $5 billion,� Rahmani Fazli said, addressing the meeting of the 20th Iran-Pakistan joint Economic commission in Tehran.

He underlined that free trade was one of the pivotal issues of the meeting.

Rahmani Fazli also expressed the hope that the rise in economic cooperation would lead to longer strides on the path of economic development of Iran and Pakistan.

The leaders of Iran and Pakistan have vowed to enhance the values of trade exchanges between the two countries to the level of $5 billion.