Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addressed a joint press conference at New Delhi on Saturday, 17 February, following the signing of 13 key agreements in areas such as taxes, travel, commerce, healthcare, extradition, and Chabahar.
The two leaders jointly released a postal stamp to mark the relations between India and Iran. The stamp shows ships at Iran’s Chabahar port and India’s Kandla.
Welcoming Rouhani to India, PM Modi recalled his 2016 visit to Tehran and said that the Iranian President’s visit “deepens and strengthens” the relationship, which is bound by the thread of “Sufism”.
“It gives us immense pleasure to host an Iranian President who is visiting India after a gap of 10 years,” Modi said.
The two leaders reaffirmed that the relationship is not based on politics and diplomacy alone but is a cultural and civilisation relationship dating back thousands of years.
Modi thanked Rouhani for his leadership which has resulted in strong ties between the two countries and the increased cooperation in many areas, especially the development of Chabahar port.
The PM said that India will support the construction of Chabahar to Zahedan railway line to ensure that maximum benefit from the Chabahar port can be realised.
The Indian Prime Minister stressed on the need for India and Iran to work together for the prosperity, security and peace in Afghanistan.
In a message to sponsors of terror, India and Iran said that they want to see the neighbourhood free from terrorism and are committed to stop those who support cyber crime, narcotic trade and terrorist activities.
In his address, Rouhani thanked Indian Government and the people of the country for the kindness accorded to him.
Rouhani said that his government shares views on two crucial issues – transit and economy. Referring to the architecture of the Makkah Masjid, which reflects a combination of cultures, Rouhani said that India and Iran must safeguard the unique relationship.
He thanked the Indian government for investment which helped in the development of key infrastructure in Iran, particularly connected to Chabahar, and said that similar cooperation will be seen in areas of energy, natural gas, petroleum and petro products.