YEREVAN, MAY 8, ARMENPRESS. Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday said the country could not be dictated and would consider only its own interests in decision-making, ruling out reservations of the United States on the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline, Dawn reports.

Responding to a question on the project during a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad, FM Dar said: “We have to watch our interests, look at our commitments and the government has to make decisions while keeping Pakistan’s interest in mind about what we will do, when will we do and how will we do [no matter] what the US or other countries say.”

“It can’t be dictated on us and neither will we allow anyone to use veto. Pakistan is a sovereign country and the way we respect others’ sovereignty, we expect the others to respect Pakistan’s sovereignty,” Dawn quotes Dar as saying.

The US has maintained that it does not support the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline project from going forward and cautioned about the risk of sanctions in doing business with Tehran.

Dar said the Iranian president’s visit to Pakistan in April was very productive. During Raisi’s 3-day visit the two countries reiterated the importance of cooperation in the energy domain, including trade in electricity, power transmission lines and the IP Gas Pipeline Project.