Ahlulbayt News Agency: Iran and Pakistan have long been willing to expand cooperation in all spheres and enhanced cultural and media relations proved to be a major step in this regard.
Cooperation between Pakistan’s Balochistan and Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan provinces has always been the top agenda of of Iran-Pakistan trade and cultural ties.
Iran-Pakistan share 959 km long border which begins at the Koh-i-Malik Salih mountains and ends at Gwadar Bay in the Gulf of Oman. It passes through a diverse landscape of mountain ridges, seasonal streams and rivers.
The two countries apart from focusing on enhanced border cooperation, fight against miscreants, fight against smuggling, human and drug trafficking should also look towards cultural and media cooperation to further strengthen bilateral relationship.
The media and culture cooperation especially at the provincial level sectors can be very constructive to promote common interests, that is, to strengthen relations and open more opportunities for the two sides.
Iran and Pakistan have always remained sympathetic, religious and friendly neighbors, so it is necessary to realize that media cooperation of the two Muslim brotherly countries, especially the exchange of cultural delegations would further cement these ties.
The two countries have repeatedly expressed interest in media cooperation, and over the years, plans have been made to enhance bilateral cooperation and clarify public opinion on news in the region and developments in the two neighboring countries. Agreements have also been reached in this regard.
In addition to the common historical and cultural features of the two countries, they also face similar challenges, so the residents of two neighboring border provinces can increase cooperation in the field of media to deal with the common challenges.
For this reason, the Consul General of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Quetta, the capital of Pakistan’s Balochistan, Hassan Darvishvand has met with the President of Quetta Press Club, Reza Rehman with an aim to strengthen media and cultural ties between the bordering province with Iran and Pakistan.
Both sides emphasized the important role of media in developing Iran-Pakistan relations and called for identifying areas for cooperation between the two countries in the cultural and media sectors.
Reza Rehman expressing his views said the opening of the gates of media and cultural cooperation between the two border provinces of Iran and Pakistan would help to overcome common challenges.
The meeting was widely covered by the print and electronic media in Pakistan's Balochistan province welcoming both sides’ desire to increase media and cultural cooperation.
In an exclusive interview with IRNA, Zafar Baloch, Secretary General of Quetta Press Club stressed the need to strengthen public relations between Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan and Pakistan's Balochistan provinces.
He said although there are many commonalities between Iran and Pakistan, especially the two border provinces, but increasing media interactions can help further strengthen these ties.
"In recent years, we have witnessed an exchange of delegations at the governmental level, or perhaps limited to Tehran and Islamabad," Ali Reza Rand, a prominent Pakistani journalist based in Balochistan and a correspondent for the English-language Dawn newspaper, told IRNA.
“But this cooperation should be developed at the provincial levels as well,” he said.
He added: The provinces of Balochistan and Sistan-Baluchestan are the real centers of developments related to common borders, trade, security incidents, so the need to facilitate the activities of the media on both sides of the border is inevitable.
The Pakistani journalist stressed the need for government's support for promoting media cooperation between Iran and Pakistan.
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