Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi arrived in Pakistan on Monday on a three-day official visit — the first of its kind by any head of state after the February 8 general elections.
The president was received by Minister for Housing and Works Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada at the Nur Khan Airbase.
In a statement released on Sunday, the Foreign Office said Raisi would be accompanied by his spouse and a high-level delegation comprising the foreign minister and other members of the cabinet, senior officials as well as a large business delegation.
“The two sides will have a wide-ranging agenda to further strengthen Pakistan-Iran ties and enhance cooperation in diverse fields including trade, connectivity, energy, agriculture, and people-to-people contacts,” the FO said.
“They will also discuss regional and global developments and bilateral cooperation to combat the common threat of terrorism,” it added.
It said that Raisi would meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari, Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gillani and National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq.
In January, the two country’s exchanged “tit-for-tat” strikes after decades of cordial ties with minimal irritants. This was the first major escalation between the two neighbours.
Aside from the bilateral perspective, the visit is of significance as Iran and Israel have been trading blows over the past several days, while the Saudi foreign minister was in the country last week.