Pakistan’s foreign minister is in Iran and has met with his Iranian counterpart as part of regular high-level exchanges between the two neighbors.

During a joint press conference on Tuesday, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said they discussed issues of mutual interest such as trade cooperation, border markets, and development of local trade. The top Pakistani diplomat arrived in Tehran for a two-day visit and is scheduled to visit Mashhad on Wednesday.

The two foreign ministers said they also talked about road and rail connectivity and tourism, as well as gas and electricity exports from Iran to Pakistan, adding that they also reviewed regional security issues with a particular focus on developments in Afghanistan and South Asia. 

During the press conference, Amir-Abdollahian also touched upon the Vienna talks to restore the 2015 nuclear deal, saying that “Iran has never escaped the negotiating table and we believe that negotiation and diplomacy is the best way to reach agreement.”

The two had met on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos late in May, calling for bolstering bilateral cooperation. But relations were strained recently over Pakistani allegations of Iranian involvement with a militant separatist group. Among other issues is Islamabad’s challenge to maintain a delicate balance in ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia, whose ties have soured in recent years.