President Hassan Rouhani in a meeting with Pakistan Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Raheel Sharif here on Saturday urged Muslim states to unite against terrorists, IRNA reported.
Rouhani, referring to close cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries as well as deep cultural ties between the two nations said that Pakistan is of strategic importance as is Iran for Pakistan and this reality has been proven in hard times.
Rouhani said that the Iranian and Pakistani governments intend to develop their regional cooperation and this necessitates that the two countries develop their relations and have closer defense cooperation.
He felicitated the Pakistani armed forces in their success in fighting terrorism and underlined necessity of protecting and strengthening security of their common borders.
Rouhani expressed hope that the security agreement between the two countries would take into effect promptly and more cooperation between the two armed forces in the fight against terrorism would take place in order to bring stability and development to the region.
Referring to deep cultural, historical and religious commonalties between the two nations, Rouhani added that Iran is interested in cooperation between the two armed forces with their valuable experiences.
Concerning the sorrowful situation in some countries, the president said that the sole solution to regional conflicts is political and constructive dialogue and added that time is ripe for the Islamic states to be united and act together against terrorists.
Iran and Pakistan, as two important and influential countries in the region, may make joint effort in this concern.
General Raheel Sharif, for his part, underlined that the Pakistani Army supports development and strengthening of cooperation between Tehran and Islamabad and believes these kinds of relations are beneficial to both nations.
He emphasized that the Pakistan army's firm encounter with terrorists will continue and added that the two countries will witness a basic development in security of common borders soon.
General Sharif said that Pakistan will not allow any action against Iran to take place from Pakistan territory.
Referring to regional problems, he said the use of military force is not an appropriate option to remove problems, adding that efforts should be made to strengthen cooperation and unity among Islamic states.