In a significant move, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in New York on the sidelines of United Nations General Assembly session as India sought to take part in Tehran, Capital of Iran, with an eye on energy interests and connectivity corridor.
Amid fast changing geo-politics and rising tensions in the Gulf, the two leaders have comprehended the significance to discuss the regional situation and energy supplies from the region.
During the meet, PM Modi reiterated India’s support for giving priority to diplomacy, dialogue and confidence building for maintaining peace and security in the Gulf region.
Prime Minister tweeted:
Delighted to meet President @HassanRouhani. We had in-depth discussions on the full range of India-Iran ties, and regional & global matters.
Delighted to meet President @HassanRouhani. We had in-depth discussions on the full range of India-Iran ties, and regional & global matters pic.twitter.com/Z5uwZPW7LD
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 26, 2019
Earlier Minister of External Affairs of India Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met his Iranian counterpart to further bilateral interests.
The two leaders exchanged views about progress on Iran’s Chabahar Port, which India is lending a hand to develop. According to a statement by MEA, the leaders mentioned operationalization of Chabahar Port and emphasized it’s importance as a gateway to and for landlocked Afghanistan and the Central Asian region.
The meeting between PM Modi and President Rouhani comes at the time when the relationship between the two countries are not in good terms. Since May 2, India has stopped orders for Iranian oil.