PM Shehbaz attends late Iranian President’s memorial ceremony

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday returned to Pakistan after concluding his one-day visit to Islamic Republic of Iran.

He had attended the commemoration ceremony of late Iranian President and other companions and expressed condolences with the Iranian leadership.

The prime minister also engaged in a series of meetings with world leaders and discussed the ways to fortify bilateral relations and foster cooperation.

Raisi, along with Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian and others embraced martyrdom in a tragic helicopter crash in the Eastern Azerbaijan province of Iran on May 19, 2024.

The prime minister met with Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon wherein both leaders delved into avenues for bolstering the already robust ties between their nations.

Similarly, the meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ali Asadov focused on the avenues to deepen collaboration between their countries.

The prime minister also extended his good wishes for Azerbaijan to host the 29th UN Climate Change Conference (COP 29) in Baku this year.

Prime Minister Shehbaz also interacted with the Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and discussed the Pakistan-Qatar bilateral relations and other matters of mutual interest.

During his separate meetings with Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Prime Minister Shehbaz, besides exchanging views on bilateral relations, reiterated his invitation to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to visit Pakistan.

Moreover, he also met with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former Iranian president and now a member of the Expediency Discernment Council.

Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met the Supreme Leader of Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and expressed condolences on the tragic death of late Iranian President Dr Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi.

The prime minister underlined that president Raisi was a visionary leader who manifested steadfast dedication to serving his country and his people.

Recalling late President Raisi’s recent visit to Pakistan in April 2024, the prime minister highlighted his commendable role in further strengthening of Pakistan-Iran bilateral relations.

PM Shehbaz Sharif expressed solidarity with the Iranian brethren and sisters at the critical juncture in history and reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening the bonds of friendship and brotherhood with the government and people of brotherly Iran.

He expressed the resolve to continue the vision of late president for strengthening of the bilateral relationship and trade between the two countries.

He said that President Raisi’s contributions for the unity of Muslim Ummah as well as for the besieged people of Gaza would be etched in history.

The prime minister was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Federal Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Naqvi, Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan and Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said that they appreciated the sentiments of the government and people of Pakistan in this critical time and expressed gratitude to them.

He reiterated that Iran accorded importance to its ties with Pakistan and would continue the vision of late president in this regard. The prime minister invited the Supreme Leader to visit Pakistan.