For the first time, China, together with Pakistan and Iran, has decided to find ways and means to counter the threat of terrorism facing the region, media reports said.
For China, which is behind the CPEC projects in the region, this trilateral cooperation would go a long way to ensure that security threats are addressed for these projects to be completed, The News reported.
China has also sensed that the continuing border incidents on the Pakistan-Iran border, where non-state actors carry out terrorist attacks inside both countries, should be contained, the report said.
“The delegations held detailed discussions on the regional security situation, particularly the threat of terrorism faced by the region. Based on the outcome of these consultations, the three sides have decided to institutionalise the trilateral consultations on counter-terrorism and security,” the Pakistan Foreign Office said during its weekly media briefing.
“Further details will be worked out in due course,” Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said.
Meanwhile, as Pakistan’s Petroleum Minister Musadik Malik visited the United States to discuss the future of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline, the Foreign Office spokesperson struck a cautious note.
“As we have said in the past, for Pakistan, it is an important project and we remain committed to it. There are certain complications with regard to its implementation.
“In that context, we remain engaged with both Iran and the United States. Exact details of the meetings that the Minister for Petroleum held in the United States may be ascertained from the concerned ministry,” she said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan said that it has seen the statement from Iranian Naval chief Rear Admiral Shahram Irani, who had proposed an Ocean Naval Alliance including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, India and Pakistan.
“We will examine the proposal when it comes to Pakistan. At this stage, we are not in a position to comment on the statement which has been made,” said the spokesperson.
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