ISLAMABAD, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and his Pakistani counterpart Khawaja Asif have expressed concerns over growing presence of the Islamic State (IS) in Afghanistan and its implications for regional security, a statement by the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said Monday.
The two foreign ministers, who held officials talks in Islamabad, underlined the need for further cooperation against trans-national terrorist groups, the foreign ministry said, adding that the two strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and appreciated increased bilateral cooperation in border security.
The two foreign ministers also supported political resolution of Afghan conflict for durable peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region, it said.
They also exchanged views on important developments on regional and international peace and security.
The two sides agreed to continue engagements for enhancing economic cooperation including bilateral trade, investment and commercial interaction to promote shared prosperity.
They underlined that as two brotherly neighboring countries, the two sides should deepen connectivity between the two sister ports of Gwadar in Pakistan and Chahbahar in Iran to benefit from their complementarities.
The Iranian foreign minister also met Pakistani parliamentary speaker Ayaz Sadiq and the army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa and discussed cooperation between the parliaments of the two countries as well as the defense cooperation.
