Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has returned to Pakistan after concluding his day-long visit to Iran to offer condolences on the tragic death of Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage in a helicopter crash on Sunday.
The premier was seen off by senior officials of Iran, Pakistan's Ambassador to Iran Mudassir Tipu and other diplomatic staff at Tehran's international airport.
On May 19, Raisi, foreign minister Amir Abdollahian, and a few others were killed in a helicopter crash in the Iranian province of Eastern Azerbaijan.
The prime minister attended the commemoration ceremony for the late Iranian president and his companions and expressed condolences with the Iranian leadership. At the event, he engaged in a series of meetings with world leaders on Wednesday and discussed ways to fortify bilateral relations and foster cooperation.
During their meeting, the prime minister and President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan discussed ways to strengthen their already strong bilateral relations.
Similarly, the PM and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ali Asadov discussed ways to further strengthen their countries' cooperation. In addition, the prime minister wished Azerbaijan well in its hosting of the 29th UN Climate Change Conference (COP 29) in Baku this year.
Additionally, Prime Minister Shehbaz spoke with Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani about bilateral relations between Pakistan and Qatar, as well as other topics of mutual interest. The two leaders agreed to further enhance cooperation in various sectors.
In addition to discussing bilateral relations, Prime Minister Shehbaz extended his invitation to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to visit Pakistan on an official visit, during his separate meetings with Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
The two sides also agreed to further enhance cooperation in various sectors.
The PM also met the speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Birri, on the occasion. Shehbaz also had a meeting with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is a former president of Iran and currently a member of the Expediency Discernment Council.
