Acting President Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani has called for further strengthening the bilateral cooperation with Iran in trade, security, culture and education.

He was talking to Ambassador of Iran to Pakistan Dr Reza Amiri Moghadam, who called on him here in Islamabad on Friday.

The Acting President said Pakistan and Iran have deep-rooted historical, religious and cultural ties and the people of Pakistan have great respect and affection for the people of Iran.

He said there is a need to harness the true potential of the existing cooperation for promoting connectivity between the two countries as well as with the broader region.

The Acting President highlighted the significance of enhancing people-to-people contacts including exchanging Parliamentary delegations to further strengthen bonds of friendship between the two brotherly countries.

In his remarks, the Iranian Ambassador said Pakistan remained the fifth-largest trading partner of Iran last year. He stressed the need to further explore options for expanding the existing volume of bilateral trade to ten billion dollars.

While discussing Israel’s atrocities in Palestine and Lebanon, both the leaders condemned the acts of genocide perpetuated by the Israeli forces.

The Iranian Ambassador said the All Parties Conference convened by the government of Pakistan in support of Palestine, can serve as a model for the Islamic World.