Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline critical for CPEC’s energy needs: Iranian Ambassador

Terming Pak-Iran Gas Pipeline indispensable for CPEC’s energy needs and success, the Iranian ambassador to Pakistan H.E. Mehdi Honardoost revealed that they had over 400 years of gas resources available in Iran and Pakistan continues to be their foremost desired market.
He was speaking at an exclusive session hosted by Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), Islamabad on September 19, 2017. The session was chaired by Ambassador (r) Khalid Mehmood, chairman, Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad (ISSI), whereas the Institute’s research team and senior associates were present on the occasion.
Speaking of CPEC, the Iranian ambassador said that the Chinese initiative should not only be seen as a trade or business venture but as a destiny changer for the whole region whereas the development of Pak-Iran gas pipeline can play a vital role in fulfilling the venture’s power related requirements. He said that Iran had already done its part in extending the pipeline to the Pakistani border and we are looking forward to Pakistan that it will be completing its part the soonest possible to serve its own national interests.
The ambassador said that Iran and Pakistan were historically and culturally one nation, having several commonalities in their concerns as well as interests. He stressed that the two nations should be working together in areas like trade, energy, regional peace etc. as such cooperation will only yield mutually beneficial rewards.
Ambassador (r) Khalid Mehmood, having served as a Pakistani diplomat in Iran, said that Pakistan and Iran have stood by each other in difficult times. There have been some ups and downs in their association at times but the essential relationship between the two countries has always remained intact. “Like China, Pakistan’s relationship with Iran is also time-tested”, he remarked.
He said that the destinies of both the countries were intertwined and they should be looking forward for improving cooperation in different areas in the coming days. The development of Gwadar-Nawabshah pipeline could facilitate the early progression and pave way for future headway in this regard.
Executive President IPS Khalid Rahman also spoke at the session.

For seminar brief: Pak-Iran Relations