News World

S Jaishankar holds talks with Iranian and Turkish counterparts in Dushanbe

March 29, 2021
The Commune 
Featured Image Credits: Twitter

On Monday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held separate talks with his counterparts from Iran and Turkey on the sidelines of the Heart of Asia conference in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe.

Jaishankar is in Dushanbe on a bilateral visit and also to attend the multilateral conference which will be held on Tuesday. The Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process is an initiative aimed at bringing together all the key stakeholders to bring lasting peace and stability in war-ravaged Afghanistan.

Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar described his conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif as “warm” and said that it covered bilateral cooperation, including the Chabahar port project.

Located in the Sistan-Balochistan province on the southern coast of energy-rich Iran, the Chabahar port is being developed by India, Iran and Afghanistan to boost trade ties. India handed over two 140-tonne mobile harbour cranes to the authorities of the Chabahar port in Iran on Sunday as both sides reviewed their overall cooperation in developing the transit hub.

“Began my Heart of Asia engagements with a meeting with Iranian FM @JZarif. A warm conversation that underlined our convergences. Also discussed our bilateral cooperation, including Chabahar,” he tweeted.

About his talks with the Turkish foreign minister, Jaishankar said that the discussions were focused on Afghanistan-related developments and bilateral relations.

India has been a major stakeholder in the peace and stability of Afghanistan. It has already invested USD 2 billion in aid and reconstruction activities in the country. India has been supporting a national peace and reconciliation process that is Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled.

“Met FM @MevlutCavusoglu of Turkey on the sidelines of @HeartofAsia_IP. Our discussions focused on Afghanistan-related developments and our bilateral relations,” he said in another tweet.

Last week, Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar visited India during which Jaishankar conveyed India’s long-term commitment towards a peaceful, sovereign and stable Afghanistan to him.

After arriving In Tajikistan on Monday, Jaishankar also visited the Dushanbe-Chortut highway project site and lauded India’s Border Roads Organisation (BRO) for the work it has been doing there.

“Visited the Dushanbe-Chortut Highway Project site. Good work being done by @BROindia under our grant assistance. The 8-lane highway will decongest Dushanbe,” he tweeted.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi is also attending the Heart of Asia conference. It is not clear whether Jaishankar and Qureshi will have a meeting in Dushanbe.

Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.