ISLAMABAD: Iranian Amba­ssador Mehdi Honardoost on Friday said that Iran’s Chabahar port was not a rival to Gwadar port and stressed that both connectivity projects were in the interest of the entire region.

During a talk with academicians hosted by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), the envoy rejected the impression that the Chabahar pact recently signed between Iran, India and Afghanistan was against any other country and said the mega project would ensure peace and tranquillity in the region.

According to the trilateral agreement signed on May 23, India would finance the development of Chabahar port as a trading hub.

Pak-Iran gas pipeline could prove to be a ‘jumping board’ for Pakistan, says Honardoost

Mr Honardoost said that the Chabahar agreement was not limited to the signatories and offered Pakistan and China to join the project.

He said that after bearing 37 years of unfair sanctions, Chabahar was a “window of international cooperation” for Iran.

He said that Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline could prove as a “jumping board” for Pakistan because of cheaper price of natural gas.

Mr Honardoost said that Iran, after constructing the pipeline on its side at a cost of $2 billion, was waiting for Pakistan to accelerate the project.

Answering a question about Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour, who was killed in a US drone strike in Balochistan last week, having a valid Iranian visa, the ambassador said Iran had never been a supporter of the Taliban.

“We never ever allowed Taliban and other militant groups to use Iranian soil,” he said, adding that Iran openly opposed rise of the Taliban even 16 years ago.

He said that terrorism and drug trafficking were the major problems confronting Pakistan and Iran. However, he said, the 980km-long Pakistan-Iran border was safer than other borders of Pakistan and termed it a border of “peace and brotherhood”.

In reply to a question about the security wall that Iran built along the border with Pakistan, he dismissed the impression that it was to restrict the flow of Baloch people from both sides.

Instead, he pointed out, identity cards had been issued to Baloch tribesmen to move across borders without visa. However, he said, Iran could not ignore the danger of narcotics gangs.

Mutual concerns

The Iranian ambassador suggested that by rejecting negative propaganda and alleged interference by superpowers, both Pakistan and Iran can promote relations on the basis of trade and economy.

He said that Pakistan and Iran having the same religion, culture and faith had “mutual interests and concerns”.

“Any concern [and] interest of Pakistan is our concern and interest. There is no question [or] ambiguity on it,” he said. “We believe that Pakistan and Iran should work faster for the future of the region.”

On relations with India, he said Iran’s stance was clear that it never preferred any country over its neighbours, particularly Pakistan.

About Iran’s ties with Saudi Arabia, he said Tehran welcomed any rapprochement and lauded the reconciliatory efforts made by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for bringing Iran and Saudi Arabia closer.

Published in Dawn, May 28th, 2016