Doval meets Raisi as India, Iran call for taking ties to ‘new level’

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 2

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has pitched for taking India-Iran ties to a “new level”, especially in the economic and commercial fields, during a meeting with National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval in Tehran.

Raisi also conveyed to Doval at the meeting on Monday that groupings such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and BRICS could be “very effective” in view of the global geo-political changes, according to a statement issued by the Iranian President’s office. The NSA was on a daylong visit to Iran on Monday. Besides calling on Raisi, Doval held separate talks with his Iranian counterpart Ali Shamkhani and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian.

At their meeting, Doval and Amirabdollahian exchanged views on the development of the Chabahar port, ways to deal with terrorism, issues relating to bilateral banking and the situation in Afghanistan, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said.

In a statement, it said the Iranian Foreign Minister called for boosting trade ties and hoped that the holding a meeting of the joint economic commission in Tehran would provide fresh momentum in the relations. It said Doval talked about unfolding developments globally and referred to a broad range of areas where Tehran and New Delhi could work together. “Doval then stressed the necessity of putting in place a roadmap of cooperation between the two nations within the framework of a long-term partnership,” it said. The Foreign Ministry said cooperation in the Chabahar port project figured in the talks and Doval underlined its importance, including for the Central Asian region.

“Amirabdollahian and Doval also exchanged views over the joint work of Iran and India in Chabahar, bilateral banking issues, the sanctions removal talks and regional issues, including the developments in Afghanistan," it said.

At his meeting with Doval, Raisi made a mention of his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Uzbek city of Samarkand in September last and that both sides wanted to expand ties in the economic and commercial fields, the Iranian President's office said. /PTI