TEHRAN - Iran and Pakistan on Sunday signed a new agreement to strengthen cross-border trade cooperation between the two countries and to allow customs offices at borders to increase their service hours.
The agreement was signed during a 10th Joint Border Trade Committee meeting between Iranian and Pakistani officials in the Pakistani border city of Quetta, which added that Iran’s Consul General in Quetta Hassan Darvish Vand had also attended the committee meeting.
The document was signed by Iraj Hasanpour, Director General of Industry, Mine and Trade department of Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan Province and Abdul Qadir Memon, Chief Collector of Pakistan’s province of Balochistan.
During the meeting, the Iranian and Pakistani delegations discussed increased cooperation between the two countries on major border issues and challenges, including illegal entry and smuggling.
Under the agreement reached between Iran and Pakistan, the two neighboring countries will seek to facilitate border exchanges and will speed up efforts to create border markets.
The two sides have also agreed to increase working hours of their customs offices at the borders while facilitating visa issuance for Iranian and Pakistani businesses.
Officials from Iran and Pakistan also agreed to accelerate efforts aimed at implementing a barter trade mechanism between the two countries during the meeting Quetta.