Longstanding Palestinian & J&K issues must be addressed through peaceful means: Ishaq Dar
ISLAMABAD, Nov 05 (SABAH): Pakistan and Iran have condemned Israel’s unrestrained military aggression in the Middle East, its genocidal actions against innocent civilians and its illegal measures in occupied territories.
Addressing a joint news conference along with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi in Islamabad on Tuesday after their bilateral talks, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar said Israeli actions are in violation of international law and the UN Charter and contribute to the root cause of all tensions in the Middle East.
The Deputy Prime Minister reiterated Pakistan’s call for establishing a viable, independent and contiguous State of Palestine on the basis of Pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
Ishaq Dar said we reject the propensity by occupying powers to equate the right to self-determination with terrorism, which, he said, is nothing, but a ploy to prolong their occupation and apartheid policies.
The Deputy Prime Minister said the longstanding Palestinian and Jammu and Kashmir issues must be addressed through peaceful means by fully respecting the rights and aspirations of the affected populations in line with the relevant UN resolutions and the Charter.
Ishaq Dar said during the talks with Iranian Foreign Minister, they also discussed ways and means to enhance cooperation across several key areas including trade, energy and border security.
He said the two sides have agreed to intensify collaboration on border management and address shared challenges.
The Foreign Minister said they have underscored that terrorism and extremism pose a serious threat to the regional peace and pledged to coordinate joint efforts to eradicate these challenges.
In his remarks on the occasion, the Iranian Foreign Minister appreciated Pakistan’s strong and clear stance in condemning the Israeli aggression against Iran.
The Iranian Foreign Minister said his country does not seek escalation. However, he said we reserve our right to legitimize defence under the UN Charter.
The Iranian Foreign Minister reiterated the commitment to further strengthen the brotherly relations with Pakistan in all areas including economy, trade, politics and culture.
Prior to this Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Tuesday received the Foreign Minister of Iran Seyed Abbas Araghchi and his delegation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The two Ministers noted the longstanding ties between Pakistan and Iran and emphasized the need to strengthen these relations through increased trade, energy cooperation and enhanced border management.
They expressed commitment to exploring avenues of enhancing trade, investment and people to people contacts
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Foreign Minister Aragachi also discussed the situation in the Middle East. They strongly condemned Israeli aggression against Palestinians and expressed their common resolved in supporting the inalienable right to self determination of the Palestinian people.