Iran and India share a deep-rooted partnership and the two sides are working together on important projects like the Chabahar port and the International North-South Transport Corridor, which are strengthening the bilateral relationship.
The Iranian ambassador to India, Iraj Elahi, emphasized the strong partnership between Iran and India during his address on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the Islamic Republic of Iran in New Delhi on Friday.
He said that the Chabahar port is very important because it connects the Indian Ocean to places like Central Asia. And the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) connects the Indian Ocean to Europe through Iran and Russia.
For India, the Chabahar port in Iran is important because it makes trading with countries like Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia much easier. 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.
It has been reported previously by Financial Express Online that the INSTC envisions the movement of goods from Mumbai (India) to Shahid Beheshti Port – Chabahar (Iran) by sea, from Chabahar to Bandar-e- Anzali (an Iranian port on the Caspian Sea) by road, and then from Bandar-e- Anzali to Astrakhan (a Caspian port in the Russian Federation) by ship across the Caspian Sea, and after that from Astrakhan to other regions of the Russian Federation and further into Europe by Russian railways.
He also mentioned the long friendship between Iran and India. He said, “Iran and India have been friends for a long time. People in India still love reading beautiful Persian poems. The Indian government even made Persian an official language in schools, which shows how much they care about our language.”
Ambassador Elahi talked about the recent meeting between Prime Minister Modi of India and President Raisi of Iran, saying it was important for their future friendship.
“Iran and India have important coordination and cooperation at the regional and international levels. The presence of Iran and India in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS shows the cooperation of the two countries at the international level,” the envoy stated.
At the event, Ambassador Elahi also talked about the problem of terrorism. He said that Iran has been fighting terrorism for many years and has been successful in stopping groups like ISIS from taking over the region.
“In the last four decades, Iran’s people and government have stood against many fierce storms such as imposed war, terror, economic sanctions or economic terrorism and maximum pressure, and are moving towards the heights of victory,” the Iranian ambassador said.
Adding, “The Islamic Republic as a victim of terrorism has had a non-stop fight against terrorism. In this field, Iran has prevented ISIS from dominating the West Asian region. The Islamic Republic of Iran is proud to have lost one of its national heroes in the fight against terrorism, and the world will never forget the assassination of General Soleimani by terrorist forces in Iraq.”
Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism, Shripad Y. Naik, also presided over the event held at the Iranian embassy in the national capital. Taking to his official handle on X, the Union Minister posted, “Delighted to meet and extend my warm wishes to Hon’ble Ambassador of Islamic Republic of Iran to India His Excellency Dr Iraj Elahi and Mrs Elahi on the occasion of 45th Anniversary of Islamic Revolution.”