Expanding trade ties and bilateral economic relations were among the many topics discussed by the NSA and Iran’s president.
NSA Ajit Doval arrived in Iran on Monday and held talks with his Iranian counterpart, Ali Shamkhani, the foreign minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, and the Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi.
Speaking with the National Security Advisor in a meeting, the Iranian president expressed the wish to expand relations between the two Asian countries. The NSA’s trip comes ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) foreign ministers’ meet to be held in Goa this week.
Deeper ties
According to a statement released by the president’s office, NSA Doval and President Raisi both agreed that the countries wish to strengthen ties, majorly in the economic and commercial sectors.
The President further added that the world order is changing. At the heart of this change, regional and international forums such as the SCO and BRICS organizations can be very effective, because of their power and resources. The president said that by developing their relationship, the countries can have a greater impact on international developments. NSA Doval also agreed that big changes were happening in the world and to have a positive impact on these changes, India must deepen its relations with its neighbors, especially Iran.
Meeting with the foreign minister
The Indian NSA also met with the foreign minister, who expressed hopes that this trip will help create strong momentum in New Delhi and Tehran’s strategic relations. The foreign minister spoke of the historical background of bilateral ties between the two countries and referred to the constructive talks held by the Iranian President and Indian Prime Minister at the sidelines of the SCO summit in Samarkand last year.
Amirabdollahian discussed the possibility of cooperation in the fight against terrorism and narco-trafficking among other regional issues and also called for boosting ties in economic and trade sectors, through a new round of joint economic commission sessions in Tehran, said a statement released by Iran’s Foreign Ministry.
NSA Doval too spoke of a broad range of areas in which the two countries can work together and stressed the need for bringing about a roadmap of cooperation between the two nations for a long-term partnership. He described the transit cooperation between the countries as an important part of the bilateral relations. The two officials also discussed the Chabahar project, Bilateral banking issues, and sanction removal talks.
India-Iran Relations
India and Iran have had a long history of friendly ties. India’s bilateral trade with the country was USD 1.3 billion in 2022. It was one of India’s biggest oil suppliers before the sanctions imposed by the US in 2019. It is seeking to resume the oil trade between the countries.
The Chabahar Port is also an important project being undertaken by the two countries. It is located in energy-rich southeastern Iran and is a crucial trade gateway for India. It will enable India to bypass Pakistan and directly transport goods to Afghanistan and central Asia. India has pledged to invest USD 85 million in the project.
The two countries have also had talks of a rupee rial trade mechanism that will help further strengthen trade ties between the countries. Iran is also set to become a new member of SCO in its meeting this week. India is currently the chair of the SCO.
NSA Doval met the Iranian foreign minister last year in India, along with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
