Lauding bilateral ties between India and Iran, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that the cooperation between the two nations has progressed in many aspects in recent years.
In his opening remarks at the 20th India-Iran Joint Commission Meeting in Delhi on Thursday, Jaishankar welcomed Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi to India. He recalled the meeting held between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in 2024.
Jaishankar said, “It’s a great pleasure to welcome you and your delegation to India and to co-chair along with you, the 20th India-Iran Joint Commission meeting today. In recent years, our cooperation has progressed in many aspects. There are also situations that we need to address. Prime Minister Modi and President Pezeshkian have met in Kazan in October 2024 and given us guidance on how to develop our ties further.
“They’ve also had a phone conversation on 26th April. Excellency, this is the 75th anniversary of our diplomatic ties. It is a reminder of the closeness of our cooper collaboration and the deep friendship between us. I’m sure that we will mark the anniversary appropriately,” the minister said.
He also talked about ‘Operation Sindoor’ conducted by Indian Armed Forces in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) in response to the Pahalgam terrorist attack, calling India’s response “measured and targeted.” Jaishankar asserted that India will give a “firm response” if it faces military attack.
Jaishankar said, “Excellency, you are visiting India at a time when we are responding to a particularly barbaric terrorist attack on 22nd April in the Indian Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. This attack compelled us to respond on 7 May by striking at cross-border terrorist infrastructure.”
“Our response was targeted and measured. It is not our intention to escalate the situation. However, if there are military attacks on us, there should be no doubt that it will be met with a very, very firm response. As a neighbour and a close partner, it is important that you have a good understanding of the situation,” he added.
The Indian Armed Forces targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and PoJK under ‘Operation Sindoor’ on Wednesday in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
The strikes, conducted between 1:05 am and 1:30 am early on Wednesday, were a coordinated effort by the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force, targeting nine terror camps across Pakistan and PoJK based on credible intelligence.
During the India-Iran Joint Commission Meeting, Seyed Abbas Araghchi emphasised the “warm and friendly relations” shared by India and Iran.
Araghchi said, “Well, on our bilateral relations, the only thing I have to say is to reciprocate what your Excellency said. Iran-India relation goes back to history. We have always enjoyed very friendly and warm relations between the two countries based on mutual respect and mutual interest and that has continued over the years and still we have very good close friendly relations.”
“Our economic cooperation is good but not as good as we expected because of the sanctions, as you know, which we hope that we can overcome that problem in the future,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Esmaeil Baqaei said that Araghchi is in India to review the bilateral relationship between the two nations and discuss regional and international developments. He said that India and Iran should work together to strengthen peace, security, and stability across the regions and beyond.
In a post on X, Baqaei stated, “Today FM Araghchi is in New Delhi, India, for an official visit to review Iran-India bilateral relationship and consult on regional & int’l developments. FM Araghchi and his indian counterpart @DrSJaishankar will co-chair the 20th Iran-India Joint Commission(JCM) & sign a number of bilateral documents to enhance cooperation on areas of economy, customs and health.
“Iran-India bonds of friendship are deeply rooted in history and provide a solid ground for mutually beneficial relations. We should work together to strengthen peace, security, & stability across the regions and beyond,” he added.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghchi arrived in New Delhi on Thursday to co-chair the 20th India-Iran Joint Commission Meeting. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal welcomed the visiting dignitary and highlighted the significance of the visit.
In a post on X, Jaiswal said, “Warm welcome to FM Seyed Abbas Araghchi, as he arrives in New Delhi for the India-Iran Joint Commission Meeting. An opportunity to review and enhance bilateral cooperation on the 75th Anniversary of the India-Iran Friendship Treaty.” (ANI)
