INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
TEHRAN— Pakistan’s Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar who serves as the Chief of Air Staff, visited Iran on Thursday and met with
several Iranian high-ranking officials, including Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani.
In this meeting, the
defense minister expressed his deepest sympathies with the nation of Pakistan and offered condolences to the families of the recent flood
victims in this country. Unprecedented monsoon rains that began in mid-June have affected more than 30 million people in Pakistan, killing
more than 1,130 people from Monday.Ashtiani said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan have historical, cultural and social
commonalities regardless of the common border.”The Defense chief stated that the two countries have an important and influential position
in regional developments and the Islamic world, adding that Pakistan has always enjoyed a particular position in the foreign policy of
Iran.Ashtiani also stated that Tehran considers the security of Pakistan as its own security, adding, “The government of Iran emphasizes
developing relations with the friendly and brotherly country of Pakistan at all bilateral, regional and international levels.He pointed out
that the cooperation between Iran and Pakistan, in the changing and tense conditions of the region, can be of help in improving the security
situation in the West Asian region.The defense minister also made it clear that both countries should not allow third countries to be
influential in the development and deepening of bilateral cooperation.Stating that the international situation and developments are
currently in a complicated state, the defense minister noted, “The U.S
and the West are trying to implement their unilateralist and totalitarian approaches in all strategic areas of the world
The recent developments in Ukraine are also the product of a unilateralist and interventionist approach,” he added. Ashtiani further
noted that the Americans in Afghanistan left the country in a chaotic situation after 20 years of occupation, adding, “Certainly,
Afghanistan's solution to get out of the current situation is to form an inclusive government with the participation of all ethnic
groups.”Stating that good measures have been taken in recent years to transform the borders of the two countries into safe borders
compatible with economic exchanges, Ashtiani said, “We support and emphasize the development of defense, military and security cooperation
and the implementation of agreements in these areas.”Iranian nation's resistance to sanctions is admirableFor his part, Marshal Ahmad
Babar confirmed the Iranian defense minister's remarks in the meeting, calling the situation in the region complicated and praised the
resistance of the Iranian nation against the sanctions.Referring to the progress of Iran's aviation industry, the Pakistani Chief of Air
Staff called for the expansion of the level of cooperation in operational issues, appreciating Iran's cooperation in establishing the
security of the borders of the two countries.He expressed his desire for the exchange of delegations, the creation of design offices and
joint laboratories regarding aviation, industrial and university cooperation and the creation of joint technology parks.At the end of this
meeting, the Iranian defense minister invited his Pakistani counterpart to visit Tehran.Top military chief meets Pakistani Chief of air
staffMarshal Ahmad Babar also met the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, while visiting the
headquarters of the General Staff of the Armed Forces on Thursday.Pakistan has a special position with Iranian authoritiesAt the beginning
of this meeting, Bagheri welcomed the Pakistani chief of air staff, stating, “Pakistan is a very good neighbor for Iran and enjoys a
special position in the eyes of Iran's military and government officials.”Bagheri also expressed his sadness about the flood in Pakistan
and expressed hope that Islamabad can overcome this natural disaster as soon as possible and the problems of the people of Pakistan will be
solved. Underlining that the relations between the two countries have always been developing, Bagheri clarified, “The military commanders
of both sides have played a special role in the development of relations and I would like to send my greetings to General Qamar Javed
Bajwa.”We consider the security of Pakistan as our securityElsewhere in the meeting, the Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces
stated, “We consider the security of Pakistan as our security and we will not hesitate to do anything we can for the security of
Pakistan.”Regarding military cooperation between the two countries, there are already established relations, Bagheri stated, adding that
it can definitely expand in terms of diversity and depth, and Iran is fully prepared for this issue.“Considering the mutual trips of the
two air force commanders of Iran and Pakistan, we will see the deepening of relations in the near future, and I believe that the air forces
of the two countries can have the necessary cooperation in order to transfer experiences and new technologies,” Bagheri stated.He added
that it is expected that Iran and Pakistan will have a joint program for manned and unmanned drones in the next one to two years.There is no
longer any limit to the expansion of Iran's military cooperationRegarding the issue of sanctions against Iran, the Iranian top military
chief stated, “UN arms embargoes have been lifted for about a year and a half, and therefore we are not facing any restrictions in this
Now we only face unilateral and oppressive U.S
sanctions, so there are no restrictions on our military cooperation with Pakistan.”Bagheri stated that in the field of manned and unmanned
drones, many measures have been taken by Iran. “You may not have had the opportunity to visit and observe all of them, so with the
presence of your engineering team, you can get more reviews about Iran's capabilities,” Bagheri told Marshal Ahmad Babar.The Chief of
Staff of the Armed Forces said that the turning point is that Pakistan has the necessary will to expand cooperation, and it is definitely
evident that Tehran also mutually have the will to cooperate with Pakistan. “In general, I believe that foreigners should not be allowed
to enter by expanding the cooperation and concluding various understandings,” he stated.Sending an expert team to further investigate
Iran's capabilitiesFor his part, Marshal Ahmad Babar said, “We have always wanted to meet the Iranian military men
I will also send you the greetings of General Bajwa
This is the first time I come to Iran and I also had a good conversation with the commander of the Iranian Air Force.The Chief of the
Pakistani Air Staff stated that he will send a team of experts to Iran for better implementation of joint programs, adding,
“Geopolitically, our region is very sensitive and important and we are struggling with many problems from the east and the west.Marshal
Ahmad Babar continued by saying that in his belief, the military relations of the two countries can definitely have a positive effect on the
relations between the governments and diplomats, and the nations of Iran and Pakistan are very close to each other due to their religious
and cultural commonalities.We must move towards cutting-edge technologiesThe Pakistani air staff chief also stated that the battle scene has
changed a lot, noting, “We have to use the term hybrid war for many of today's battles and as you said, we have to move towards the
cutting edge technologies and for this purpose, we in Pakistan have established a science and technology park.”Marshal Ahmad Babar noted
that according to Islamabad's experiences in the exercise field, Tehran and Islamabad can hold a joint exercise.
