With the complete collapse of the 20-year-old US-backed Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban building a new Islamic Emirate, two neighboring Islamic Republics with strained ties to Washington are building closer ties in hopes of securing stability in a region. .
Iran and Pakistan have a history of cooperating in practical terms, even when they were in conflict. Today, they are creating more common ground in the absence of American troops among them. And beyond the issue in Afghanistan, they have found additional ways of cooperating.
“Iran and Pakistan have many common goals in the region and in the Islamic world, from peace and stability in the region, including Afghanistan, which is the immediate neighbor of both countries, to the promotion of bilateral cooperation in various economic issues. cultural and political sectors. “Hamaneh Karimi-Kia, head of the press department at the Tehran embassy in Islamabad, told Newsweek.
An important area of ​​mutual concern is the borders shared by the two countries, a border that has hosted separatist groups waging uprisings against both nations. Concerns about the rise of non-state actors have grown since the change of power in Afghanistan, and both Iran and Pakistan are seeking to better manage their borders by reducing threats and boosting trade.
“The two countries have cooperated well in managing border issues,” Karimi-Kia added, “including border security, increasing the number of border crossings and managing border trade.” “Trade between Iran and Pakistan is far from being possible at the moment and the two countries are working together to increase the level of economic relations.”
Last year, the two countries opened two new border crossings at Rimdan-Gabd and Pishin-Mand, and a memorandum of understanding in April led to the opening of three markets in the Balochistan border region to pave the way for trade in the region. Further efforts to boost trade were discussed just last week by a joint committee, which agreed on new measures designed to increase the total value of traded goods to about $ 5 billion by 2023.
However, insecurity continues to haunt such plans, and the two countries have shown a willingness to show how they can unite in both defense and military matters.
“Cooperation between Tehran and Islamabad is important for regional peace and stability,” Karimi-Kia said. “The development of security diplomacy and the expansion of counter-terrorism cooperation between Iran and Pakistan have increased in recent years. Also, to protect the common border, the two neighbors have developed security cooperation and co-operation in the fight against terrorist elements.” “The Islamic Republic of Iran has stated its desire to further strengthen military relations with the Pakistani military, especially in the areas of counter-terrorism and education.”
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi discuss the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) leaders’ summit on September 16 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Since taking office in August, Raisi has sought to strengthen Iran’s ties with peripheral countries, and his trip to the SCO summit marked both his first trip abroad and the beginning of Iran’s rise to full membership. in a coalition that already includes China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. , India, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Tehran and Islamabad have traditionally been divided over Afghanistan. It was Pakistan that played a central role in helping CIA-backed mujahideen win their war against the Soviet Union. And when the Taliban established their first Islamic Emirate a quarter of a century ago, Pakistan was the first to recognize the new government, followed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
newsweek.com
Follow Skai.gr on Google News
and be the first to know all the news
.
