Chabahar in focus as PM Modi and Iranian President Pezeshkian hold talks in Kazan

Kazan (Russia): Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday held bilateral discussions on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in the Russian city of Kazan.

This was the first bilateral meeting between PM Modi and Pezeshkian, who took over as the President of Iran in July following Ebrahim Raisi’s death in a helicopter crash on May 19.

Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari had represented India in Pezeshkian’s swearing-in ceremony, held in Tehran on July 30.

The BRICS alliance, an intergovernmental organisation comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, had added four new members – Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates – on January 1, 2024.

It was also under India’s presidency that Iran joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

India-Iran partnership in various sectors, especially connectivity, expanded tremendously during the tenure of Iran’s late President Raisi.

Both countries fast-tracked infrastructure cooperation, focusing especially on the Chabahar project and the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) – the 7,200 km-long multimodal trade corridor linking Russia with India via the ports of Iran.

India and Iran had signed a 10-year contract for the operation of Chabahar Port on May 13, just a few days before Raisi’s death.

“Looking forward to working closely with you to further strengthen our warm and long-standing bilateral relationship for the benefit of our peoples and the region,” PM Modi had said in a post on X following

Pezeshkian’s election as Iran’s new President on July 6.

Earlier in the day, immediately after his arrival in Kazan, PM Modi held a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Had an excellent meeting with President Putin. The bond between India and Russia is deep-rooted. Our talks focussed on how to add even more vigour to our bilateral partnership across diverse sectors,” Prime Minister Modi posted on X.

IANS