Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (L) meets Pakistani Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the 68th annual session of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 24, 2013.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Pakistani Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz Sharif have stressed the need for the completion of the multi-billion-dollar pipeline projected to carry natural gas from Iran to Pakistan.
During a meeting on the sidelines of the 68th annual session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, Sharif said he would be sending Pakistan™s Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to Iran in the near future to discuss completion of the project with Iranian energy officials.
The final construction phase of the IP pipeline was inaugurated on March 11. Iran has already built 900 kilometers of the pipeline on its soil and is helping to build the 700-kilometer part of the pipeline on the Pakistani side.
The IP pipeline is designed to help Pakistan to overcome its growing energy needs at a time when the country of over 180 million people is grappling with serious energy shortages.
Rouhani and Sharif also exchanged viewpoints on the latest regional developments.
The Pakistani prime minister also pointed out that the Islamabad government is seeking friendly and sustainable relations with its neighboring countries, calling for the advancement of economic ties with Iran.
Sharif also referred to the spread of terrorism as a factor wrecking Pakistan™s economy, and urged cooperation among all Muslim states to combat terrorism.
Rouhani, for his part, stated that Iran is well aware of the ongoing situation in the region, adding that Pakistan has made sacrifices in the fight against terrorism and no one can doubt such efforts.
He added that Tehran has supported Islamabad in difficult situations and would continue to do so in future.
MP/HGH
Copyright: Press TV