New York: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani discussed bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and global developments of mutual interest during their bilateral meeting here, Thursday.
Narendra Modi met Rouhani on the sidelines of the high-level 74th Session of the UN General Assembly and discussed ‘bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and global developments of mutual interest’.
According to an official press release, the Indian Prime Minister reiterated India’s support for giving priority to diplomacy, dialogue and confidence building in the interest of maintaining peace, security and stability in the Gulf region, which is of vital importance for India.
Noting that India and Iran shared old and civilization ties, the two leaders assessed the progress in bilateral relations since their first meeting in Russian city of Ufa in 2015.
They especially mentioned overcapitalisation of Chabahar Port and noted its importance as gateway to and for the landlocked Afghanistan and the Central Asian region. During the meeting of the two leaders, it was also agreed to mark the 70th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations in 2020.
The India-Iran meeting was keenly awaited as it comes amid escalating face-off between Iran and the US on Tehran’s nuclear programme. Iran is also accused by the US and its allies of attacking two key oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, triggering a new phase of tensions in the region.
The two leaders ‘discussed bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on the situation in the region’, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.
India, the world’s third biggest oil consumer, meets more than 80 per cent of its oil needs through imports. Iran was its third-largest supplier after Iraq and Saudi Arabia till recently.
The six-month-long exemptions from US sanctions to India and seven other countries to buy oil from Iran expired May 2 as Washington did not extend it.
PTI