New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on late Monday night after concluding his two-day visit to Iran.
Expressing his gratitude towards the government and people of Iran before leaving for India, the Prime Minister tweeted: "I thank the wonderful people of Iran for the warmth. My Iran visit was fruitful & the outcomes will positively impact our nations."
"During this visit I held productive discussions with the top leadership of Iran. We are committed to seeing our ties grow even further," said Prime Minister Modi in another tweet.
The Prime Minister, who paid a state visit to Iran at the invitation of Iranian President Dr. Hassan Rouhani, called on the Supreme Leader Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei on Monday and gifted him reproduction of a rare seventh-century manuscript of the Holy Quran attributed to Hazrat Ali, the fourth caliph. Written in Kufic script, this manuscript is a prized possession of the Ministry of Culture's Rampur Raza Library.
He then held talks with President Rouhani following his official welcome in an impressive ceremony. President Rouhani also hosted a lunch in honour of Prime Minister Modi. The Prime Minister also gifted President Dr Rouhani reproductions of Ghalib's collection of poetry in Persian 'Kulliyat-e-Farsi-e-Ghalib', as also Sumair Chand's Persian translation of Ramayana.
Prime Minister Modi and President Rouhani witnessed the signing of 12 agreements between the two nations, including the signing of a bilateral contract on Chabahar Port for port development and operations between India Ports Global Private Limited (IPGPL) and Arya Banader of Iran; an MoU between EXIM Bank and Iran's Ports and Maritime Organisation (PMO) specifying the current terms of credit line for Chabahar Port Project and a confirmation statement between EXIM Bank and Central Bank of Iran on Projects in Iran.
Addressing a joint media conference after signing the agreement, President Rouhani and Prime Minister Modi expressed their satisfaction at the progress in bilateral ties since their meeting in July 2015 in Ufa. Prime Minister Modi complimented the leadership of Iran on Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and subsequent developments, including lifting of certain sanctions, which represent the triumph of diplomacy and sagacity. The Iranian President appreciated India's stance and support for close cooperation extended to the Government of Iran during the period of imposed sanction and expressed the view that the Iranian people never forget the positive role India played in that period.
The leaders were united in their determination to build a strong, contemporary and cooperative relationship that draws upon the strength of the historical and civilisational ties between the two countries, leverages their geographical proximity, and responds to the needs of an increasingly inter-dependent world.
They were also of the view that their governments must enable and encourage utilisation of the emerging opportunities to the maximum possible extent in all areas of bilateral economic and commercial cooperation, in particular connectivity and infrastructure, energy, and trade & investment.
President Rouhani and Prime Minister Modi agreed to further intensify high-level engagement through more frequent and wider exchange of bilateral visits at all levels, as well as meetings on the sidelines of regional and multilateral meetings.
Both sides decided to give full play to the strategic location and unique role of Iran and India for promoting multi-modal connectivity within and across the region, hoped that India's participation in developing Chabahar Port will open a new chapter in bilateral cooperation and regional connectivity, and encourage more maritime links and services between the two countries, details of which will be worked out by authorities concerned.
Welcoming the signing of the trilateral Agreement on Establishing Chabahar Transport and Transit Corridors later today in the presence of President Rouhani, Prime Minister Modi and President Ashraf Ghani, the leaders stressed the historical significance of the Agreement.
They pointed out that the growing multi-cornered cooperation on connectivity will provide Afghanistan an assured and alternative access to regional markets, thus contributing to development, peace and stability in Afghanistan and also the region as a whole.
They look forward to early delineation of all necessary rules and procedures leading to operationalisation of the transport and transit routes within the timelines stipulated in the Agreement.
The Iranian side welcomed the investment of Indian side in setting up plants in sectors such as fertilisers, petrochemicals and metallurgy in Chabahar FTZ on terms mutually beneficial to the concerned parties. President Rouhani and Prime Minister Modi also welcomed prospects for participation of India's railways in various ongoing and future projects. In this regard, they noted the steps for cooperation taken by IRCON and CDTIC of Islamic Republic of Iran. They also noted the potential for cooperation in the sphere of mines and mining. In this regard, they noted the steps for cooperation taken by NALCO and IMIDRO. It was decided to establish a Bilateral Ministerial Task Force to guide the process to utilise mutual complementarities between India and Iran in the context of connectivity and Chabahar FTZ. The Task Force could also examine enhancement of Iranian investments in India.
Both sides also noted their shared desire to develop an Information and Communication Technology Zone in Chabahar and promote cooperation between States of India and Provinces of Iran.
President Rouhani and Prime Minister Modi agreed to strengthen the longstanding trade ties between the two countries by, inter alia, stepping up the momentum of economic engagement through early conclusion of a Preferential Trade Agreement, preferably within a year. The two leaders also directed that Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement and Bilateral Investment Treaty should be concluded before the end of the year. India fully supports the accession of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the World Trade Organisation and the ongoing consensus building efforts among WTO members to reactivate the accession process, consistent with the objective of making the Organisation universal and inclusive.
From the perspective of developing better and wider understanding of each other's vast civilisational heritage and tourism potential, President Rouhani and Prime Minister Modi expressed the hope for a successful outcome of first meeting of the Joint Working Group on Tourism.
They also welcomed the prospects of developing cooperation as per mutual interest and agreement in a number of other areas, including higher education, science and technology, environment, agriculture, promoting small and medium entrepreneurs through regular interaction and institutional mechanisms, and directed relevant authorities to work out further details.
Driven by mutual desire to promote Indology and Persian Studies so that the current and future of citizens of the two countries are better informed of the mutually enriching and close interaction among India and Iran, both sides welcomed a number of initiatives underway and planned in the cultural sphere. They appreciated the organisation of the event 'India and Iran, Two Great Civilisations: Retrospect and Prospect' in Tehran from 23-25 May 2016 jointly by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the Academy of Persian Language and Literature (Farangistan). Noting the importance of the MoU signed between the ICCR and the Islamic Culture and Relations Organisation (ICRO), they encouraged scholars, authors, media, film community, artistes, youth and sportspersons to participate in each other's cultural and other such festivals planned for the coming two years.
Prime Minister Modi invited President Rouhani to visit India at the earliest and convenient time as an important step for furthering development of relations between the two countries, which President Rohani accepted.
The Prime Minister also addressed the inaugural session of a Conference on ''India and Iran, Two Great Civilizations: Retrospect and Prospects'' and released a rare Persian manuscript.
Upon his arrival in Tehran on Sunday evening, the Prime Minister paid his obeisance at Bhai Ganga Singh Sabha gurdwara and also participated in a 'kirtan' (prayer).
