Iran's president meets India's prime minister on sidelines of SCO summit
Tehran - BORNA - Meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pezeshkian thanked New Delhi for its support and cooperation with Iran during the recent war and stressed the need to strengthen diplomatic efforts to establish peace and security in the region.
Outlining Iran's approach to regional developments, Pezeshkian said his government has, since taking office, focused on securing peace and security and resolving issues through dialogue and negotiation. He said that instead of using diplomatic channels, the US has pursued a path of war, insecurity and imposing its will through force.
He stressed that Iran has never welcomed war, saying Tehran's responsibility is to keep its people away from danger and insecurity and to create the conditions for them to achieve peace and stability.
"Continuing the war serves neither us, the region, nor humanity"
Referring to agreements reached in the process of resolving outstanding issues, Pezeshkian said Iran has remained committed to its obligations under the agreements it accepted, but that the US side has failed to fulfill its own commitments. He said Iran continues working toward agreement and understanding, adding that continuing the war serves neither Iran's interests, the region's, nor humanity's.
"Certain factions in the US see their interest in continued war"
Pezeshkian said some factions inside the United States see their interests tied to continuing the war and want the conflict to persist, but that Iran believes progress toward peace, stability and security requires strengthening the will for peace. Citing India's standing and capabilities in the region and the world, as well as the deep historical and cultural ties between the two nations, he asked Modi to use his channels of communication with various parties to help steer them away from war and bloodshed and toward dialogue and agreement.
"All capacities must be used to prevent the spread of insecurity"
Stressing that the will of rational actors across the region and the world favors peace, security, stability and avoiding war, Pezeshkian said Iran believes dialogue and cooperation are the way to resolve current issues, and that all available capacities must be used to prevent the spread of insecurity and conflict.
Pointing to the longstanding, friendly relationship between Iran and India, Pezeshkian affirmed Tehran's readiness to deepen bilateral ties in all areas, saying the two countries have broad capacity to expand cooperation in political, economic, scientific, cultural and other fields of mutual interest, and that strengthening bilateral cooperation while offsetting the effects of sanctions could further elevate relations.
"Tehran ready to expand cooperation with India across various fields"
Referring to US and Israeli efforts to restrict and obstruct Iran's cooperation with other countries, Pezeshkian said that despite these pressures, Tehran remains ready to expand its cooperation with India across multiple areas. He also stressed the need to strengthen communication and consultation between officials of the two countries, saying that with India's engagement and support, the two sides could deepen ties further and create new areas for cooperation.
India seeks to sustain cooperation and ties with Iran
Modi, for his part, expressed pleasure at meeting with Pezeshkian and said India has worked to sustain and preserve its cooperation and ties with Iran during the recent difficult period. Citing Pezeshkian's experience and views on peace and security, Modi said: "Based on what I've come to know of your character, you are a man devoted to peace, and I believe you can play an effective role in achieving it. I'm confident your efforts will ultimately lead to the desired results."
"We must redouble our efforts to establish peace"
Modi agreed with Pezeshkian's assessment that some parties see their interest in war, saying: "I agree with you that some see their interest in war, but we must redouble our efforts to establish peace. I believe that in the end, peace and security will prevail." He also pointed to the historical and civilizational ties between Iran and India, saying the two nations' civilizations have been linked for centuries, providing a valuable foundation for expanding cooperation across various sectors.
Pezeshkian and Modi also reviewed the latest status of bilateral cooperation across multiple fields. Transportation and maritime cooperation, developments related to the Strait of Hormuz, and progress on cooperation at Chabahar Port were among the key topics discussed. Both sides stressed the importance of using existing capacities to develop economic and trade relations and strengthen strategic cooperation between Iran and India.
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