India, Iran Defence Ministers discuss Afghan issue ahead of SCO meet

The development of the International North-South Transport corridor to ease logistic problems in Afghanistan and other countries in Central Asia came up in the bilateral discussions between Indian and Iranian Defence Ministers ahead of the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) Defence Ministers meeting in New Delhi.

New Delhi: Defence Ministers of India and Iran discussed the existing situation in Afghanistan and the ways to bolster connectivity in the region. India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with his Iranian counterpart Brigadier General Mohammed Reza Gharaei Ashtiyani in New Delhi on Thursday ahead of the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) defence ministers meeting scheduled to be held on April 28.

The bilateral meeting took place in a cordial and warm atmosphere. Both leaders emphasized the age-old cultural, linguistic, and civilizational ties between the two countries, including people-to-people connections. They reviewed the bilateral defence cooperation and exchanged views on regional security issues, including peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Also, the development of the International North-South Transport corridor came up in the discussions between the two Defence Ministers. The corridor is aimed to ease logistics problems in Afghanistan and other countries in Central Asia. At the invitation of the Indian Defence Minister, the Iranian Defence Minister is visiting Delhi to attend the SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting.

India has been steadfast in providing necessary humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan ever since the Taliban took over the war-torn country. India has not yet recognized the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and has been pushing for the formation of an inclusive government in Kabul and has reiterated that Afghan soil must not be used for any terrorist activities against any country.

The SCO, an intergovernmental organization founded in Shanghai on 15 June 2001, currently comprises eight Member States (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan). Also, the SCO has got four Observer States interested in acceding to full membership (Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia) in addition to six Dialogue Partners (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey).