Press Release
ISSI-IPIS 14th Joint Roundtable, Tehran
On the invitation of the Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS), Tehran, a four-member delegation from the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad (ISSI) headed by Ambassador Khalid Mahmood, Chairman ISSI, visited Tehran, from July 22-27, 2017 to attend the 14th ISSI-IPIS Joint Roundtable. Other members of the ISSI delegation included Ms. Amina Khan, Research Fellow (Afghanistan and FATA), Ms. Arhama Siddiqa, Research Fellow (Middle East) and Ms. Mahvish Hafeez (India).
Apart from the ISSI-IPIS Joint Roundtable, the ISSI delegation also held meetings with Pakistan’s Ambassador to Iran, H. E. Asif Durrani; Mr. Rasoul Eslami, Director General (West Asia) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Iran; Mr. Saadallah Zarei, Head of the Andishe Sazan Noor Research Institute, (IRGC) and experts from the Centre for Strategic Defence Research (CSDR). During the interactions, issues of global and regional concern were discussed with specific focus on Iran-Pakistan bilateral relations; impediments in their bilateral ties and ways to overcome these obstacles. The situation in Afghanistan was discussed at length along with the state of affairs in the Middle East, as well the impact of regional and international developments on both neighbours, Pakistan and Iran.
The discussions were insightful and constructive. Both, Pakistan and Iran, reinterred the importance of their bilateral ties as well as measures to strengthen their relationship. They emphasized on the need for joint collaboration in order to overcome challenges faced by both countries. The ISSI has extended its invitation to the IPIS for the 15th ISSI-IPIS joint roundtable to be held in Islamabad in 2018.
