Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran said Tehran is satisfied that the Indian government has dealt with those responsible for comments on Prophet Muhammed during his official meetings in Delhi..reports Asian Lite News
Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. He said Iran is satisfied that the Indian government has dealt with those responsible for comments on Prophet Muhammed during his official meetings in Delhi on Wednesday. This is the first such visit by a dignitary from an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member country since the controversy erupted.
“Was happy to receive Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian for a useful discussion on further development of Centuries-old civilizational links between India and Iran. Our relations have mutually benefited both the countries and have promoted regional security and prosperity,” Prime Minister tweeted after the meeting.
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, who is on an official visit to India, earlier also met Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar.
“Wide ranging discussion with FM @Amirabdolahian of Iran. Reviewed our bilateral cooperation, including in trade, connectivity, health and people to people ties. Exchanged views on global and regional issues including JCPOA, Afghanistan and Ukraine,” S. Jaishankar tweeted.
The Ministry of External Affairs also put out statement after the meeting between the two leaders.
“Prime Minister requested the Iran Foreign Minister to also transmit his greetings to His Excellency President Ebrahim Raisi, and looked forward to meeting the President of Iran at an early date,” it stated.
Talks with NSA Doval
Abdollahian, who is on his first visit to India since he was appointed last year, met with National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval and held bilateral talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, where the two sides signed an agreement on mutual legal assistance in civil and commercial matters. He also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi who “recalled long-standing civilisational and cultural links between India and Iran”, an official statement said, adding that the Prime Minister looked forward to welcoming Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi at an “early date”. In addition, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the two Ministers “reiterated the need for a representative and inclusive political system in support of a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan.”
The visiting Foreign Minister will be in Mumbai on Thursday and then will travel to Hyderabad.
“[We] reviewed our bilateral cooperation, including in trade, connectivity, health and people to people ties,” said Jaishankar in a tweet after the talks, adding that they had exchanged views on global and regional issues, including the six-nation 2015 nuclear agreement called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Afghanistan and Ukraine.
In a statement issued in Farsi, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said the Minister had raised the issue of the controversial remarks by members of the ruling party with Doval, and was satisfied by the response he received.
Timing significant
The timing of the Foreign Minister’s visit is significant as Iran is in a clash with the International Atomic Energy Agency this week, as the IAEA Board of Governors are meeting in Vienna until June 10, where a report on Iran’s nuclear record is being discussed. After the US, France, Germany and the UK introduced a resolution condemning Iran’s nuclear technology progress and “insufficient cooperation” with the IAEA, Iran’s Atomic Energy board announced on Wednesday that it was shutting off the IAEA’s cameras at a nuclear site in protest.
The statements also did not expand on the nature of discussions on Taliban, but Abdollahian was received at the airport by Joint Secretary (Iran Pakistan Afghanistan) J.P. Singh, the official who travelled to Kabul last week to meet with Taliban officials, including the Taliban’s acting Foreign Minister Mottaqi.
The Iranian Foreign Minister’s visit also follows a week after the visit of Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz, in an indication that India is attempting to walk the balance between the two West Asian rivals who are also sparring over Iran’s nuclear programme. Modi had met Gantz as well during his trip to India, and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennet, who had to put off his visit to India in March this year as he contracted Covid, is expected to visit in the next few months as well.
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