Iranian President Hassan Rouhani engaged in bilateral talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, on the sidelines of the ongoing Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Ufa, Russia.
Rouhani described Iran-India relations as 'friendly and historical,' expressing hope that the sit-down meeting would lay the foundation for a fast and forward movement in the two countries bilateral ties.
The Iranian president pointed to India’s request for investment in Iran’s southern Chabahar port as well as the country’s participation in the North-South Transport Corridor project, saying “the Islamic Republic of Iran sees no limitations in developing trade ties with India.”
New Delhi has plans to build a road-railroad network from Chabahar to Milak in Iran in order to link it with the India-built 223-km Zaranj-Delaram road in Afghanistan so that aid could be pushed to Kabul and beyond. The project would open a new economic corridor rival to what China plans to do in Pakistan’s Gwadar port.
President Rouhani further stressed Iran’s readiness to cooperate with India in investment projects in the sections of oil, gas, Chabahr port, tourism, as well as the private sector.
The Indian Prime Minister, for his part, highlighted the role of Iran and President Rouhani in particular, in identifying and eradicating the roots of terrorism in the region, saying “we must not allow terrorism to cast doubt on Islam and the Muslims in the world.”
He further called for more cooperation between Iran and India in the fight against terrorism and advocating a world without violence.
President Rouhani arrived in Ufa late on Wednesday to attend the summits of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on his two-day visit to Russia.
He is also scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss improvement of bilateral ties as well as the results of the nuclear negotiations currently underway in the Austrian capital of Vienna.
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