Rial-rupee mechanism crucial for Iran-India trade: SNSC
Ajit Doval, national security adviser to Narendra Modi, prime minister of India, visited Tehran on Monday and met the special representative of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), Admiral Ali Shamkhani.
The two sides discussed political and security relations, particularly bilateral and multilateral economic issues and the most critical regional and international developments.
During this meeting, Shamkhani said that the deep-rooted historical and cultural commonalities, the will of the leaders of the two countries, as well as the strategic independence of Iran and India, are the main indicators for the development of bilateral cooperation.
Stating that the relations between Iran and India are not against any other country and are not affected by the will of third parties, Iran’s top security official said, “Global and regional developments provide very suitable conditions for strengthening interactions between Tehran and New Delhi in the fields of energy, transportation, transit, technology, and banking.”
“Activating the rial-rupee mechanism is a necessary and important measure that will play a decisive role in advancing common goals in various economic fields,” Shamkhani highlighted.
He then stated that Iran welcomes the promotion of India’s role and position in regional and international developments and considers Delhi’s active presence in political, economic and security initiatives with the participation of the Central Asian countries and the Persian Gulf region’s countries as necessary, adding, “The participation of the two countries for assessing and using the opportunities resulting from regional and global developments, as well as active cooperation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the BRICS group, will serve the national interests of Iran and India,” Shamkhani highlighted.
He added that decisions taken to remove obstacles to continued cooperation in the Chabahar port can be very effective in changing the current situation.
Doval, for his part, said that the effective influence of Iranian culture in the daily life of the Indian people shows the deep ties between the two nations, “for which perhaps no other example can be presented at the regional level.”
He added that independent countries should prepare for the development of regional cooperation and playing an effective international role by recognizing the characteristics of new global developments.
The agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia to normalize relations will have serious effects in addition to deep regional effects in changing relations in the international system, Doval stated.
“I appreciate the central and decisive role of your Excellency (Shamkhani) in managing the process of normalizing relations between Tehran and Riyadh and the agreement reached between the two countries,” India’s national security adviser stated.
New Delhi emphasizes the continuation of joint cooperation in helping stability in Afghanistan and preventing the development of the presence and role of Takfiri terrorism in this country, as well as the establishment of a responsible and inclusive government in Afghanistan, Doval said.
“We consider Chabahar as India’s gateway to all-round economic cooperation with Iran, and we are ready to increase consultations to resolve existing problems,” India’s top security official concluded.
Doval meets
Iranian president
Later on Monday, India’s top security official met Iran’s President Ebrahim Raeisi.
During the meeting, Raeisi told Doval that the will of the leaders of Iran and India is to expand relations, especially in the economic and commercial fields and this issue was emphasized in the meeting between the Iranian president and India’s premier in September on the sidelines of the 22nd Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Pointing out to the new world order that is shaping up, Raeisi said that SCO and BRICS, as well as other regional alliances can play a vital role in the new world order.
“As two influential countries in the region, Iran and India can be more effective in the changes caused by the shaping of this new world order by promoting their cooperation to a new level,” Raeisi concluded.
Doval, for his part, said that India believes it needs to expand and deepen its cooperation with its neighbors in order to affect the changes in the world order.
India’s top security official meets Iran FM
Prior to meeting the Iranian president, Doval met Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Monday afternoon.
The two officials discussed ways to expand bilateral and regional cooperation, as well as ways Tehran and New Delhi can contribute to solve the existing crisis in Afghanistan.