ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Iran are planning official exchanges to strengthen trade linkages and deepen economic cooperation along their shared border, an official statement said after a meeting between Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan and Iranian Ambassador Reza Amiri-Moghaddam on Saturday.
The two neighbors have set up border markets and discussed barter trade in recent years to get around banking and currency restrictions.
Sanctions and foreign exchange shortages remain key hurdles for Iran, making barter systems and cross-border markets central to its trade strategy with Pakistan.
The meeting between the envoy and Pakistan’s commerce minister comes at a time when both countries held the Pakistan-Iran Joint Economic Commission in September to discuss concrete strategies to enhance bilateral trade.
“The commerce minister proposed arranging high-level visits, including those of the Chief Minister of Baluchistan and the Governor of Zahedan, to facilitate cross-border trade and improve the livelihoods of people living in the border regions,” the statement said. “He also suggested inviting Pakistani ministers from the maritime, railways, and communications sectors to Iran to explore avenues of mutual cooperation in their respective fields.”
