New Delhi
15 July 2006
India's relations with Iran continued to be strong and New Delhi
looked forward to "charting even greater cooperation" with Tehran during Iranian Foreign
Minister Manouchehr Mottaki's talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other
Indian leaders next week, according to Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran.
"Iran is an important energy partner [and we expect] bigger partnership in future," he
observed on the sidelines of a talk on civilian nuclear cooperation between India and the
United States. His remarks came at a time when the India-Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline is
mired in uncertainty and differences persist on gas pricing formula.
The foreign secretary said India was collaborating with Iran on certain projects in order
to gain greater access to Afghanistan and Centra Asia. "It [should] be quite apparent [that
there is] no question of India being opposed to Iran," he said in response to a question
about India's votes against Iran on two occasions in the International Atomic Energy
Agency.
"We respect Iran's right to develop peaceful uses of nuclear energy but within the
international commitments it has [undertaken,]" Mr Saran said. However, on a candid
note, he explained that too much should not be read into India's recent voting pattern.
Iran voted against India on many occasions in the past, which was "not acceptable to
us", but bilateral relations remained unaffected, he asserted.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki is expected to visit New Delhi next week
for talks with a host of Indian leaders. He will deliver a lecture on "Outlook for
Convergence in Asia" at Sapru House and speak at the India Islamic Cultural Centre.
Visits to Mumbai in Maharashtra and Gujarat are also on his itinerary.
Officials from India, Pakistan and Iran are expected to meet in Tehran in the first week of
August to discuss the price of natural gas Iran will supply to India and Pakistan through
the India-Pakistan-Iran pipeline. Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Murli Deora
had called on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Shanghai last month.
No comments:
Post a Comment