ISLAMABAD (APP) – Iranian Ambassador to Islamabad Mashallah Shakeri here Wednesday said that Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline project will not only open new avenues of cooperation, but also will bring regional countries closer.

He made the statement in a meeting with Pakistan’s Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Ahsanullah Khan, discussing bilateral cooperation in oil and gas sectors.
Both sides expressed satisfaction over the progress in IPI gas pipeline project, reiterating the desire of their leadership for its early implementation for the benefit of the entire region.
The minister said that government was taking concrete steps for exploiting untapped hydrocarbon resources spanning over 627,000 sq. km sedimentary areas to meet the speed of socioeconomic growth in the country.
He said that more onshore and offshore blocks would be opened for enhancing the oil and gas exploration activities in the country which would provide enormous investment opportunities.
The minister said there exists tremendous scope for promoting Pakistan-Iran ties in the oil, gas, and mineral sectors and invited Iranian companies to participate in the upcoming petroleum projects for learning a lot from each other’s experience.
Secretary Petroleum Farrak Qayyum was also present in the meeting.