Iran Foreign Minister, Jaishankar talk bilateral ties, Afghanistan
- Amid over a dozen Islamic nations condemning the comments made by former BJP spokespersons, for which they have been suspended and expelled, respectively, by the party, Iran’s Foreign Minister held talks with his Indian counterpart on his first official visit, a three-day affair.
About Bilateral meeting:
- recalled the long-standing civilisational and cultural links between India and Iran and discussed ongoing bilateral cooperation initiatives.
- The Indian PM stressed that both countries should work to accelerate exchanges in the post-Covid era.
- discussed multiple issues, including the ongoing war in Ukraine, the situation in Afghanistan and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)
- signed between Iran and the United States, France, Germany, China, Russia and the United Kingdom in July 2015, colloquially called the Iran nuclear deal.
- Reviewed bilateral cooperation, including in trade, connectivity, health and people to people ties.
- The meeting comes just days after Iran had summoned India’s ambassador to register its protest against the comments made by BJP leaders last week.
- Iran was one among the first few nations to issue the demarche, after Qatar and Kuwait.
- Iran is a member of the OIC, which had been very critical in its statement on the recent controversy.
Ties between Iran and india:
- Delhi has maintained a high focus on its diplomatic relationship with Tehran, as it does not want it to fall under the influence of Beijing.
- Iran has been one of the closest partners of India, especially in the Gulf region.
- India is also building the Chabahar Port, in partnership with Iran and Afghanistan earlier, located in the Sistan-Baluchestan province, which will give it access from the sea to Afghanistan and other Central Asian nations.
- Afghanistan continues to be one of the main topics of discussions between the two nations.
Prelims Takeaway:
- OIC
- JCPOA
- Chabahar port