PM Modi meets Iranian President Pezeshkian, reiterates India's call for protection of civilians: Foreign Secy Misri

Kazan [Russia], October 23 : Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held a meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan on Tuesday and discussed the situation in West Asia. PM Modi expressed his deep concern over the escalating conflict and reiterated India's call for the protection of civilians and prevention of harm to civilians.
While addressing a special briefing on PM Modi's visit to Russia on Tuesday, Misri said, "Both leaders (PM Modi and Iranian President Pezeshkian) also discussed the situation in West Asia. PM Modi expressed his deep concern over the escalating conflict and reiterated India's call for the protection of civilians and prevention of harm to civilians."
"He emphasized the need for dialogue and diplomacy to de-escalate tensions. President Pezeshkian also emphasized on the need for peace and harmony in the region and the role that India could play in de-escalating the conflict given its good relations with all the parties involved," he added.
Misri stated that PM Modi and Iranian President also discussed Afghanistan and underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region.
He said, "As I said, Afghanistan was another key topic of discussion between the leaders. Both of them underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region along with continuing humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan.President Pezeshkian acknowledged in particular the role that India played in Iran's accession to both the SCO and BRICS, and both leaders agreed to continue their cooperation within various multilateral platforms, including BRICS and SCO."
Misri noted that PM Modi and Pezeshkian held a "fruitful discussion." According to Foreign Secretary, PM Modi, during the meeting, congratulated Iranian President on his recent victory and reaffirmed India's commitment to deepening the age-old ties with Iran. He said that two leaders emphasised the shared "historical and civilizational ties" that underpin their bilateral relations.
Foreign Secretary said, "Prime Minister and President Pezeshkian had a fruitful discussion. This was their first meeting since President Pezeshkian's election as the 9th president of Iran. PM Modi congratulated him on his recent victory and reaffirmed India's commitment to deepening the age-old bilateral ties with Iran. In fact, both leaders emphasized repeatedly the shared historical and civilizational ties that underpin their bilateral relations and discussed ways to further strengthen cooperation in various fields of bilateral ties."
Vikram Misri stated that the discussion between two leaders focused on key areas of cooperation, especially the Chabahar port, International North-South Transport Corridor.
He stated, "The discussion focused on key areas of cooperation, particularly the Chabahar port and the International North-South Transport Corridor, which are crucial for enhancing regional connectivity and economic partnerships. In fact, seamless connectivity in the region was a theme of this meeting. In this context, the recent signing of the long-term main contract for the development of the Chabahar port in Iran further strengthens the commitments of both countries toward collaboration in these sectors, which is in a sense also significant for the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan and for enhancing trade, economic and people to people linkages with the countries of Central Asia."
This was the first meeting between the two leaders since Masoud Pezeshkian took over as President of Iran in July this year. India and Iran share longstanding civilisational ties.
The Chabahar Port is an India-Iran flagship project that serves as an important transit port for trade with Afghanistan and Central Asian countries, which are landlocked countries.
India has been a key player in the development and operation of Chabahar Port. The Indian government has invested in the port's infrastructure and has been involved in upgrading its facilities to make it a viable transit route for Indian goods bound for Afghanistan and Central Asia.
On Chabahar Port and INSTC linkage, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, "This has been something that has been a subject of discussion for some time. There are certain logistical issues involved in it. But, I don't think that as a principle there is any question about the utility and the value that would be derived by linking Chabahar to the INSTC. It is something that we have discussed with a number of interlocutors, but there are certain logistics and infrastructure issues that are involved in this. Having earlier this year signed the main contract on Chabahar between Iran and India, I would imagine that movement towards this objective would be possible in the not too distant future."
The International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is a multi-modal transportation route linking the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea via Iran and onward to northern Europe via St. Petersburg in Russia.
PM Modi arrived in Russia on Tuesday to attend the BRICS Summit. The 16th BRICS Summit is being held under Russia's chairmanship in Kazan. This visit marks, PM Modi's second visit to Russia this year. He travelled to Moscow in July to attend the 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit.