Islamabad, June 26, SPA -- Pakistan has welcomed the election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the new President of Iran and expressed the hope that the relations between the two countries would continue to strengthen in future. In its reaction to the election of President of Iran, the foreign ministry said in a statement that Pakistan is happy to see presidential election held in the Islamic Republic of Iran in "a peaceful and orderly manner." "We welcome the election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the new President of Iran. It is our hope that relations between Pakistan and Iran would continue to strengthen to the mutual advantage of the two countries. We also hope that the successful completion of the election process in Iran will have a positive impact on regional (arena), " the statement said.--SPA1303 Local Time 1003 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/272626