"Will certainly make use of opportunity provided by BRICS Summit": Iran hails ties with India ahead of Pezeshkian's visit

During a press briefing, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei emphasised the importance Tehran places on its long-standing ties with New Delhi.

Referring to President Pezeshkian's recent bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Baghaei reaffirmed that Iran plans to leverage diplomatic engagements in India to expand economic collaboration.

Highlighting Baghaei's remarks, the Iranian Embassy in India wrote in a post on X, "One of the meetings that President Masoud Pezeshkian held was with the Prime Minister of India. Our relationship with India is a long-standing, historic and civilizational relationship, and we attach great importance to our ties with India."

Looking ahead to President Pezeshkians agenda for the BRICS Summit scheduled in New Delhi on September 12-13, Baghaei expressed confidence that multilateral diplomacy will further accelerate bilateral progress.

"We will certainly make use of the opportunity provided by the BRICS Summit to continue our discussions and consultations with India in areas of mutual interest," Baghaei affirmed.

Baghaei further underscored Indias influential role across major multilateral groupings, including the SCO summit and BRICS.

"India is a member of both the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and BRICS," he said. "It is also one of the countries with which we have good relations in various areas, particularly trade and economic cooperation," he said.

Highlighting specific focus areas, Baghaei singled out connectivity and logistics infrastructure as a top priority for both nations, especially the Chabahar Port.

"Various issues are usually discussed during consultations between Iran and India, including the Chabahar Port, which is important to both countries," he noted.

"Overall, as I mentioned, our relationship with India is very good and continues to develop," he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, last week.

This marked the first meeting between the two leaders in two years. India reiterated its backing for all efforts for long-standing peace and stability in the region.

Reiterating India's readiness to closely cooperate with Iran in multilateral organisations, including BRICS and SCO, Prime Minister Modi conveyed to Pezeshkian that he looked forward to welcoming the Iranian President to India for the BRICS Summit.

PM Modi also expressed New Delhi's resolve to "expand and diversify" bilateral trade channels with Iran, emphasising the country's dedication to deepening historic ties across multiple domains.

In a post on X, PM Modi wrote, "Met President Masoud Pezeshkian in Bishkek. Reiterated our commitment to strengthening India's long-standing friendship with Iran across diverse sectors. We want to expand and diversify our trade basket in the times to come. We had a discussion on the prevailing situation in the region. India will continue to support all efforts aimed at ensuring lasting peace."

Elaborating on the diplomatic interaction, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described it as a "fruitful meeting."

"The two leaders discussed various aspects of bilateral ties. They reviewed recent developments in the West Asia region. Prime Minister reiterated India's consistent position that all issues must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. Prime Minister also underlined the need for continued efforts to ensure peace and stability in the region, and for safeguarding freedom of navigation and commerce," Jaiswal wrote in a post on X.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, along with other senior delegates from Tehran, were among those who attended the bilateral meeting between the Indian Prime Minister and Iranian President.

The high-level discussions took place against the backdrop of ongoing conflicts in West Asia impacting regional stability, commercial navigation and maritime logistics. (ANI)