Indian PM's Upcoming Iran Visit "A Milestone" in Ties: Iranian Envoy
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran's Ambassador to India Gholamreza Ansari described an upcoming visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Tehran as a milestone in Tehran-New Delhi ties that would benefit the entire region.
The Iranian government has invited Prime Minister Modi to pay an official visit to Tehran and he has graciously accepted the invitation, Ansari announced in an email interview with Business Line on Monday.
"This visit will be a milestone in the bilateral relations between Iran and India and will benefit not only these two countries but the region as well," he said.
Hailing Iran's relations with India as "traditionally good", he said that the two countries share a lot of common cultural and political interests and expressed the hope that trade ties between Tehran and New Delhi would further expand when anti-Iran sanctions are lifted.
There is an immense scope of strategic cooperation between Iran and India on the North-South Corridor, the gas pipeline, the security of sea lanes, and also in tackling extremism and terrorism, Ansari added.
He further described India as an important country that can play a greater role in the region.
Earlier in February, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had noted that Tehran welcomes further promotion of cooperation with New Delhi for establishing and strengthening regional peace and security.
Iran and India are major trade partners in various fields, especially in the oil industry. Earlier on December 2014, an Iranian official in India announced the opening of an unlimited credit line between an Indian bank and eight Iranian banks to facilitate the trade between the two countries.