18 July 2019: The Centre for Peace, Security and Developmental Studies (CPSD) organized an International Seminar on “Changing Regional Dynamics in the Wake of US sanctions: Opportunity of cooperation between Pakistan, Iran and Turkey” on 18 July 2019 in Karachi. Pakistani and foreign speakers deliberated on the different dimensions of the subject.

During the seminar, Secretary General Foreign Relations Section of CPSD, Mr. Ahsan Mukhtar Zubairi welcomed the participants and presented the historical context of relations among Pakistan, Iran, and Tukey. Mr. Zubairi maintained that the three countries are tied together through historical, cultural,

and religious bonds. He further said that Turkey, Iran and Pakistan are the three most important neighbouring countries having a great potential to play a decisive role in the future of Eurasia.

The seminar had two working sessions where speakers from Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey shared their thoughts. Chairman Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS) Mr. Sayed Kazem Sajjadpour and Senior Representative IPIS Ambassador Ali Reza Bikdeli from Iran; Chairman Turkish Asian Center for Strategic Studies (TASAM) Mr. Süleyman Şensoy and Senior Representative TASAM Ambassador Aydin Nurhan from Turkey; and Ambassador Najumuddin A Sheikh, Ambassador Asif Ali Khan Durrani sand Ambassador Jamil Ahmed Khan from Pakistan were among the esteemed speakers.

Speakers highlighted new challenges and options for the region arising from United States withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or the Iran nuclear deal and imposition of unilateral sanction on Iran. Speakers maintained that the sanctions would not only affect Iran’s economy but would also have an adverse impact on other regional countries.

It was agreed by the panelists that the changing regional dynamics in the wake of US sanctions has increased the importance of regional cooperation particularly among Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey. In his concluding remarks, Chairman Dadabhoy Foundation and CPSD Mr. Abdullah Dadabhoy held that given the mounting challenges Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey should find internationally acknowledged and accepted avenues of regional cooperation in economic, political, and social domains. Mr. Dadabhoy also thanked all the speakers for their valuable participation and intellectual contributions in the discourse.