DMEA: Iran offers to complete gas pipeline to Pakistan

Mohammed Ali Hosseini, the Iranian ambassador to Pakistan, said last week that Iran’s government was prepared to complete a natural gas pipeline to neighbouring Pakistan as part of a wider effort to expand ties in the energy sector.

“To further strengthen trade co-operation with Pakistan, completion of energy projects, especially the Pak-Iran gas pipeline, remains vital,” he told the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) in an interview. The project is currently being discussed by a technical committee, he stated, without divulging the details of these discussions.

Hosseini went on to say that Iran could serve as a key supplier of gas to Pakistan and asserted that there were no sanctions in place that might hinder shipments. Both Tehran and Islamabad recognise the importance of the matter, he commented.

Co-operation in the area of gas supplies could open the door for expansion of trade in other areas, he added. Iran and Pakistan have set the goal of boosting the value of bilateral trade to $5bn per year, he noted.