Iran-India relations are traditional and historical: Deputy Foreign Minister

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi has said that the relations between Iran and India are traditional and historical.

Takht-Ravanchi made the remarks on Friday while attending the 19th Iran-India Political Consultations event held in New Dehli, India.

“This afternoon in New Delhi, I participated in the 19th Iran-India Political Consultations. We discussed bilateral, regional and international issues with Mr. [Shri Vikram] Misri, the Foreign Secretary of India,” he wrote on a social media platform on Friday.

“Economic relations, including Chabahar Port, were prominent in the negotiations,” he stated.

Takht-Ravanchi said he also had a useful meeting with India's Foreign Minister S Jaishankar.

“Iran-India relations are traditional and historical. They (Iran and India) are determined to promote relations in various fields,” he added.

The 19th round of the Iran-India Political Consultations event was held in New Delhi on Thursday and Friday.

Iran and India have a long-standing historical relationship and cultural and economic ties.

India agreed in 2016 to finance the development of the Iranian port but the process was stalled two years later due to the US sanctions reimposed after Washington’s unilateral withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.

Iran and India signed a deal in May last year under which the India Ports Global (IPGL) company is allowed to develop and control Chabahar for 10 years.

Chabahar is located on Iran's coast along the Sea of Oman and is the country’s only ocean port.

Parts of Iran-India deal on Chabahr port made confidential: Official

Iran is keeping secretive about a port operation deal with India to avoid problems related to sanctions.

It is regarded as a major trade link between the Indian Ocean and Afghanistan and landlocked countries in the Central Asia region.

India seeks to develop Chabahar as a rival to the Chinese-funded Pakistani Gwadar and Karachi ports.

India obtained a US sanctions waiver in 2018 to be able to work in Chabahar.

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