IRNA - Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived in Islamabad early on Wednesday to hold meetings with Prime Minister Imran Khan, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and other high level officials.


Senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs received Zarif at the airport. It is the second visit of Iranian minister to Pakistan since Imran Khan's government came into power.

Pakistan attaches great importance to its relations with Iran; it is a brotherly Muslim country and an important neighbour.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi said on Tuesday that during his visit, Zarif will be kept abreast of the measures Pakistan government has adopted for security and release of Iranian border guards.

The Iranian diplomat previously travelled to Pakistan on August 31 when he and Imran Khan had discussed matters related to bilateral relations and regional security.

The Pakistani premier, at that time, had said the two countries enjoy historical and religious ties and that the people of both nations needed to extend cooperation in different fields.

Zarif had also met Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Jawed Bajwa at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi where, according to the military's media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the two talked regional security and matters of mutual interest.

The Iranian foreign minister had appreciated Pakistan�s contributions to the prevention of regional conflicts. Islamabad took sincere steps towards peace and stability in South Asia, Zarif had said.

During his meeting with Qureshi, the two ministers, as per the Foreign Office (FO), had discussed the ways to enhance cooperation and strengthen relations between the two states.