India Impatient for Closer Iran Ties
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his country’s enthusiasm for establishing a new era of relations with Iran.
In a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in New Delhi on Friday, Modi said he has prepared all Indian officials for a new round of relations with Iran.
The Indian premier said he was impressed by the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s “positive and constructive” stances in a July summit in the Russian city of Ufa.
Modi said he has felt President Rouhani’s seriousness on the enhancement of Iran-India relations.
The Indian prime minister also called for the immediate establishment of a joint commission for the expansion of bilateral relations.
Highlighting the two countries’ similar views on Afghanistan, Iraq and other regional developments, Modi stressed the need for continued consultation between Iran and India to secure regional peace and stability.
According to the Indian official, Tehran and New Delhi can promote cooperation on a railroad linking Iran to the Central Asia and on the International North-South Transport Corridor (NSTC).
Also at the meeting, the visiting Iranian Foreign Minister has warned of the threats posed by the ISIL (the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) Takfiri terrorist group as well as extremism and violence, urging a collective effort to battle the menaces.
Countering these evil scourges requires global determination and cooperation among different countries. he said, adding that Iran has always played an instrumental and constructive role in regional developments and sought to safeguard the security of the region.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Zarif has begun a new round of tour of the regional countries, which took him earlier to Lebanon, Syria and Pakistan.
His trips come in the wake of the conclusion of nuclear talks between Tehran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany).
Iran and the six powers on July 14 finalized the text of a lasting nuclear deal that would terminate all anti-Iran sanctions after taking effect. The United Nations Security Council also unanimously passed a resolution afterwards, endorsing the comprehensive accord.