Tehran: India and Iran on Monday pledged to combat terrorism and radicalism as the two nations signed 12 agreements including a “milestone” pact on developing the strategic Chabahar port, giving a boost to economic partnership in the post-sanctions era.
Mr Modi, who is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the Islamic nation after 15 years on a bilateral visit after Atal Behari Vajpayee, addressed a joint press conference with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani after one-on-one talks.
His visit came months after lifting of international sanctions on Iran following Tehran’s historic nuclear deal with the Western powers over its contentious atomic programme.
Terming terrorism as a “big problem running rife and rampant in the region”, Mr Rouhani said that both the nations have discussed the issue and agreed to share Intelligence to combat the menace.
The distance between Kandla and the Chabahar port is less than the distance between New Delhi and Mumbai, and so what this agreement does is to enable quick movement of goods first to Iran and then onwards to Afghanistan and Russia through a new rail and road link.
The Location:
Chabahar is a port in South-East Iran that will enable India to bypass Pakistan and open up a route to land-locked Afghanistan with which New Delhi has close security ties and economic interests.
Killing many birds:
The inking of a commercial contract to build and run the strategic port of Chabahar will help India gain a foothold in Iran and win access to Afghanistan, Russia and Europe, circumventing Pakistan.
