ISLAMABAD: The presidents of Pakistan’s two immediate neighbors, China and Iran, were among the first world leaders to congratulate President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday on his election as the country’s 14th president and expressed their desire to work with Pakistan’s new leaders to strengthen bilateral ties.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iranian President Syed Ebrahim Raeesi sent their separate messages to Zardari in his unprecedented second term as president when he was sworn in at Aiwan-e-Sadr.
In a congratulatory message, Raisi pointed to the deep-rooted cultural and religious ties between Iran and Pakistan and called for strengthening the relationship more than before. “As always, and especially in the new era, the Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to expand relations with the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” he added.
Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi congratulated Zardari on his election, stressing that China and Pakistan are “good neighbors, good friends, good partners and good brothers.” He said that “the iron friendship of the two countries is a choice of history and a precious treasure of two nations”.
Xi noted that in recent years, the two countries have maintained high-level close exchanges, supported each other on issues related to their respective core interests and core interests, and achieved fruitful results in the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Also read: Vawda predicts more arrests for PTI leaders
Highlighting the high level of development of bilateral relations, President Xi Jinping went on to say that the world has been confronted with rapid changes not seen in a century, and the strategic importance of China-Pakistan relations has become more prominent.
The Chinese leader said he highly values the development of China-Pakistan relations and is “ready to work together” with President Zardari to continue the traditional bilateral friendship and promote practical cooperation in various fields.
He also expressed his readiness to pursue greater development of the China-Pakistan strategic partnership of all-weather cooperation and accelerate the building of an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era to better benefit both sides. nations.
Zardari was elected president on Saturday. He got 411 votes against 181 obtained by his rival Mahmood Khan Achakzai. This is Zardari’s second term as the country’s president, having previously held the role from 2008 to 2013.
