New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday spoke to President of Iran Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi and discussed cooperation at multilateral forums, including the expansion of BRICS, and looked forward to their meeting on the margins of the forthcoming BRICS Summit in South Africa.
The two leaders discussed matters of bilateral and regional importance. The Prime Minister highlighted that the India-Iran relationship is underpinned by close historic and civilizational connections, including strong people-to-people contacts. They also reiterated their commitment to further strengthen bilateral cooperation, including realising the full potential of the Chabahar Port as a connectivity hub.
Also read: India and Iran review the progress of the strategically important Chahbahar port
The two leaders also discussed cooperation at multilateral forums, including the expansion of BRICS and looked forward to their meeting on the margins of the forthcoming BRICS summit in South Africa. The two leaders met for the first time on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Samarkand in September 2022 and discussed ways to boost cooperation in energy, commerce and regional connectivity. They also reviewed progress in the development of the Chabahar Port.
In 2016, India, Iran, and Afghanistan signed an agreement to develop the Chabahar port as a trade and transit hub. An Indian state-run company has taken over operations at the Shahid Beheshti terminal at the port though work on the project has been affected by the US sanctions on Iran and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
It is worth mentioning that India had earlier committed grant aid of $85 million and a credit facility of $150 million for developing the Shahid Beheshti terminal, for which the US granted a special waiver from sanctions imposed on Iran.
