ISLAMABAD: Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and his Iranian counterpart Dr Ali Taieb Nia have inaugurated the 19th meeting of the Pakistan-Iran Joint Economic Commission (JEC) with their addresses and hoped that four memorandums of understanding (MoUs) will be signed during the meeting.
Sources said that out of the 12 MoUs under consideration, four will be signed between the two countries during the JEC meeting, which would end today (Tuesday). The ministers and officials of both the countries would discuss the issue of banking problems due to sanctions imposed by US and UN etc on Tehran, Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project, up gradation of Quetta-Taftan railway track and improvement of Noshki-Dalbandin section of N-40 Highway.
Total 1174MW electricity would be imported from Iran, including 74MWpower for Makran Division, Balochistan; 100 MW for Gwadar and 1000MW of electricity for Balochistan and the national grid. Before the formal inauguration of the session, both Ministers had a meeting along with their respective delegations and resolved to take the economic relations a step further particularly focusing on trade promotion.
The Iranian Minister for Finance reciprocated the feelings and said that he was pleased to be in Pakistan to lead his side at the 19th JEC. He once again reiterated expansion in volume of trade between the countries in his address. He also expressed resolve to cooperate with Pakistan in the areas of energy import, transport and communication, mining, agriculture, health and banking sector development, through a comprehensive framework agreement.
