Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Mohammad Atabak has met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad following the conclusion of the 10th Iran-Pakistan Joint Trade Committee meeting.

Pakistan’s ministers for commerce, petroleum, maritime affairs, finance, and economic affairs, as the two countries seek to strengthen economic and trade cooperation, attended the meeting on Wednesday.

During the Joint Trade Committee meeting earlier today, the Iranian minister and Pakistani officials committed to finalizing a bilateral free trade agreement in the near future.

The two sides also agreed to expand direct contacts, increase exchanges of business delegations and improve the effectiveness of their barter trade mechanism.

They further decided to establish joint committees to enhance the management of border markets and boost bilateral trade in agriculture, livestock, transportation and logistics.