Electricity projects on top of Ahmadinejad’s agenda

“Pakistan attaches high priority to its relations with Iran,” said Minister for Water and Power Syed Naveed Qamar, add-ing that the three projects would help ease energy crisis. - File photo

ISLAMABAD: Talks between Pakistan and Iran during the forthcoming visit of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will mainly focus on cooperation in energy sector.

“Pakistan and Iran have agreed to complete at fast pace projects for importing electricity to enhance bilateral relations in the field of trade, energy and economy,” Iranian Ambassador Alireza Highighlian told Minister for Water and Power Syed Naveed Qamar here on Tuesday.

At present three electricity import projects are under way, the first of them is of 35MW which will be enhanced later to 70MW.

While matters relating to importing 100MW have been finalised and the project is ready for groundbreaking, the two countries have moved forward on another 1,000MW project.

The issue of tariff for the projects is in negotiations stage.

The ambassador said he was satisfied with the pace of progress, adding that Iran was keen to invest in various other projects.
The minister said that cooperation in various fields of economy would enhance bilateral relations.

“Pakistan attaches high priority to its relations with Iran,” he said, add-ing that the three projects would help ease energy
crisis.

“Pakistan is also encouraging Iranian investment in infrastructure projects,” he said.

The visit by the Iranian president would open up new avenues of cooperation, he added.

Ambassador of Tajikistan Zubaidullu Zabaidov also called on the Minister for Water and Power and discussed Casa-1000 project about import of 1,000MW electricity from that country through Afghanistan.

The Tajik ambassador stressed the need for introducing direct flights from Pakistan to Tajikistan in order to boost trade and tourism.

He invited the minister to participate in the Regional Economic Conference for Afghanistan to be held in Tajikistan next month.

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Ahmadinejad leaves Tehran for Islamabad’s trilateral meeting

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has departed for Pakistan to take part in a tripartite summit on regional cooperation and developments.

The two-day Islamabad summit will open on Friday with the participation of the Iranian president and his Afghan and Pakistani counterparts Hamid Karzai and Asif Ali Zardari. 

We hope that the Islamabad meeting would take bigger steps toward the promotion of regional cooperation and the restoration of peace and stability in the region, President Ahmadinejad told reporters before departure on Thursday. 

He said that all solutions put forward by extra-regional countries failed to contribute to the restoration of stability in the region. 

Iran’s chief executive said that foreign interference and military presence have aggravated the situation and called for a regional solution to re-establish security in the region. 

Ahmadinejad said that the people of Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan need to join hands to confront insecurity, terrorism as well as plots hatched by enemies to sow division among regional countries and dominate the region. 

The two previous trilateral meetings were held in the Iranian capital, Tehran. 

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