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India-Iran ties beyond biz
India and Iran said on Saturday that they would step up cooperation in combatting extremism, terrorism and drug trafficking, and restoring peace and stability in war-wracked Afghanistan.
New Delhi: India and Iran said on Saturday that they would step up cooperation in combatting extremism, terrorism and drug trafficking, and restoring peace and stability in war-wracked Afghanistan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Iranian President Hassan Rouhani held wide-ranging talks in New Delhi on Saturday. The two countries also exchanged documents bringing an extradition treaty signed between the two countries in 2008 into force.
Modi said the two countries would also make efforts to improve energy security and regional connectivity to reach landlocked Afghanistan and Central Asia through developing Iran’s Chabahar Port and road and rail routes.
“We both will work for restoring peace, stability, prosperity and a pluralistic system in Afghanistan,” Modi said. Rouhani said Iran and India “are prepared for joint ventures in gas and petroleum sectors.” He sought India’s investment in these areas, as well as in the industrial and mining sectors.
He said Afghanistan must be “a vivacious and secure country,” adding that Iran and India would also cooperate in dealing with the situations in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Iran is a key stakeholder in the future of those nations.
“I once again thank the people and the Government of India for the kindness accorded to us. The relations between the two countries go beyond trade & business. It goes back in history,” he said.
Rouhani’s visit to India comes at a time when President Donald Trump has threatened to scuttle an international deal reached with Iran in 2015 over its nuclear program that ended economic sanctions imposed on the country. The uncertainty puts India in a difficult position with its growing ties with the United States.
On Saturday, India and Iran signed a dozen agreements for avoidance of double taxation and implementing an extradition treaty signed in 2008. Another agreement envisaged the pooling of technical, scientific and human resources between the two countries. India will also help Iran in running a multipurpose container terminal at the Chabahar Port for 18 months as part of a lease agreement.
India is helping Iran develop Chabahar Port on the Gulf of Oman for trade with Afghanistan and Central Asia, bypassing Pakistan, which has refused to provide New Delhi access through a land route. India committed up to $500 million for the development of Chabahar along with associated roads and rail lines.
Rouhani’s three-day visit to India ended on Saturday.
