Hossein Simaei-Sarraf, Iran’s Minister of Science, Research and Technology, arrived in Islamabad on July 18 to participate in the 6th Meeting of Science Ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) and engage in discussions with senior Pakistani officials. Upon arrival at Islamabad International Airport, he was greeted by Ambassador Reza Amiri-Moqaddam and representatives from Pakistan’s Ministry of Science and Technology.
Over the course of his three-day visit, Simaei-Sarraf is scheduled to attend the Board of Trustees meeting of the ECO Science Foundation, where the election of the next foundation president will take place. The foundation is currently led by Komeil Tayyebi of Iran. The minister is also set to deliver a keynote address at the ECO ministerial meeting and hold meetings with Pakistan’s Minister of Science and Technology as well as the chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC). His visit includes engagements at several leading universities in Islamabad, a tour of the ECO Science Foundation facilities, and discussions with scholars specializing in the Persian language.
The visit follows a proposal for enhanced cooperation made at the 7th Turkey Educational Technologies Summit in Istanbul in late June. There, Wajiha Qamar, Pakistan’s Minister of State for the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, met with Simaei-Sarraf and suggested establishing a joint scientific working group between the two countries. Qamar emphasized the deep emotional, cultural, and historical bonds shared by Iran and Pakistan, underscoring that these ties provide a strong foundation for ongoing collaboration. She also highlighted Iran’s recent advancements in international scientific and technological arenas as a source of inspiration for Pakistan.
Qamar stressed that Pakistan aims to stand alongside Iran in its initiatives, highlighting the importance of leveraging the respective capacities of both nations to advance cooperation. She pointed to Iran’s expertise in areas such as skills training, agriculture, construction, and production as particularly beneficial for Pakistan’s development goals. Additionally, she cited the mutual linguistic, religious, and civilizational connections as aiding closer academic and scientific partnerships.
Simaei-Sarraf acknowledged that while Iran and Pakistan currently maintain scientific, academic, and technological collaborations, these efforts do not yet match the full potential of the relationship. He advocated for the establishment of reciprocal Persian and Urdu language academic chairs in each country to further cultural and educational exchange. The minister also highlighted the capabilities of Sistan-Baluchestan University, expressing the institution’s readiness to attract Pakistani students.
Earlier this year, during the 43rd session of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) General Conference held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Simaei-Sarraf met again with Minister Wajiha Qamar. They reaffirmed the importance of expanding scientific, academic, and educational cooperation while underscoring the enduring civilizational and cultural ties binding the two countries. Qamar praised Iran’s achievements in technology and digital transformation, while Simaei-Sarraf reiterated Iran’s willingness to share its scientific and technological expertise with Pakistan.