TEHRAN - Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri has announced Iran’s determination to establish a joint working group with the Pakistani army. General Baqeri made the announcement in a phone call with General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, the chairman of t Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) of Pakistan’s army.

In the call, the Iranian general congratulated General Mirza on his appointment as the head of the JCSC. He pointed out the good relations between the armed forces of the two countries from the past to the present and the trend towards the development of defense and security cooperation, especially in enhancing the security of the common border.

Major General Baqeri announced the full readiness of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran to speed up the proposal of General Nadeem Raza, the former head of JCSC, to establish a joint military task force between the two countries.The Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces also evaluated the mutual meetings of high-ranking commanders and the use of training, operational, security, and technical capacities of the two sides as a sign of the seriousness of the two countries in developing cooperation within the framework of national interests.Shamshad Mirza, while thanking Major General Baqeri for his congratulations and attention, called the common border of the two countries a border of peace and friendship.

 He announced that the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has always supported the interests of the Islamic Republic of Iran in international forums, especially in the issue of nuclear energy, and there is no obstacle to the expansion of bilateral interaction, according to Iran’s official news agency IRNA. He considered accelerating the activation of the joint military working group of the two countries as one of the priorities of the Pakistan Army.

He appreciated the unwavering support of the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding the Kashmir issue.General Mirza also asked General Baqeri to convey his greetings to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and the president of Iran.Baqeri held a phone conversation with Pakistan’s new army chief, General Asim Munir in December.

In this phone conversation, the Iranian general congratulated General Munir on taking charge as Pakistan’s new army chief, Tasnim reported. Highlighting the impact of cooperation between Iran and Pakistan on security along the common border, Iran’s highest-ranking military commander called for the expansion of security and defense ties with the neighboring state, according to Tasnim.Stressing the need to promote defense and security cooperation between Tehran and Islamabad, Major General Baqeri said the expansion of defense relations between the two neighbors will strengthen security along the common border.The two commanders also weighed plans for continued cooperation between Iran and Pakistan in ensuring border security, the fight against terrorist groups, the expansion of economic activities in the border regions, and turning the common border into the border of friendship and fraternity.