Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday said that he had “good agreements” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi about expanding cooperation between Iran and India during Tuesday’s bilateral meeting between the two leaders held in the Russian city of Kazan on the sidelines of the BRICS summit.
“We had good agreements about expanding cooperation between Iran and India, aiming to create prosperity and security for both countries and region, as well as the idea of creating a communication network between the countries of the region, the results of which will be seen in the economies of the two countries,” Pezeshkian posted on X late Wednesday afternoon. During the meeting – the first since Pezeshkian’s election as the ninth President of Iran in July following Ebrahim Raisi’s death in a helicopter crash on May 19 – PM Modi had reaffirmed India’s commitment to deepening the age-old bilateral ties with Iran.
The Iranian president, while referring to Israel’s assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 30 – the day he took over as Iran’s President – said that the killing had hampered the goals set by his government, including enhancing reconciliation inside Iran as well as boosting ties with neighbouring and regional countries. “We believe that war hampers the development of countries, and that is why we have been, and are, decisively seeking to prevent the spread of tension and conflict in the region,” Pezeshkian said. Prime Minister Modi, meanwhile, expressed deep concern over the widening of the conflict in West Asia and reiterated India’s call to de-escalate the situation.
The two leaders reaffirmed Chabahar’s significance for reconstruction and redevelopment of Afghanistan and enhancing trade and economic linkages with Central Asia. As India reckoned that the development of Chabahar Port is the biggest pillar of New Delhi’s ongoing cooperation with Tehran, Pezeshkian expressed hope that the implementation of bilateral agreements, including the one to develop Chabahar Port, is accelerated.
“The strengthening of economic cooperation among regional nations will promote welfare and security of our countries,” said the Iranian President, adding that he has made the proposal to create a communication network among regional countries, and BRICS can provide the ground for pursuing that idea.
–IANS
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