Tehran on Saturday expressed hope that relations with Islamabad will be strengthened in all areas under Imran Khan, whose party was declared the winner of the general election.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran…is willing to make efforts for the expansion of broad-based cooperation between the two friendly Muslim neighbors in the interest of the two peoples,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi said in a statement carried by IRNA on Saturday.
He congratulated the Pakistani people and authorities on the “successful” holding of the polls.
Pakistan’s Election Commission on Friday declared the former cricket star’s party winner of historic third consecutive election of a civilian government, but he did not win an outright majority and must form a coalition, AP reported.
In his victory speech on Thursday, Khan said his party is keen to have closer relations with Iran.
“We want to improve ties with Iran. Saudi Arabia is a friend who has always stood by us in difficult times. Our aim will be that whatever we can do for conciliation in the Middle East, we want to play that role. Those tensions, that fight, between neighbors, we will try to bring them together,” he said, according to Al Jazeera.
