TEHRAN – The deputy foreign ministers of Iran and India held political consultations in New Delhi on Thursday, according to a statement by the Iranian foreign ministry.

The meeting was attended by Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Ali Bagheri Kani and his Indian counterpart, Vinay Mohan Kwatra. 

In the meeting, the most important issues of national interest in bilateral, regional and international arenas were discussed, the statement said. 

The parties shared views on ways to develop political relations, including exchanging high-level delegations, future meeting of the joint commission of economic cooperation and business council to improve the level of trade ties as well as Indian investment in Chabahar.

The two sides also discussed regional issues, including the situation in Afghanistan, fight against terrorism and drugs, the North-South corridor, and ways to strengthen multilateral cooperation within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

During the meeting, Bagheri praised bilateral and multilateral cooperation between Iran and India for promoting peace and stability in the region and confronting unilateralism and intervention by extra-regional countries.

“Continuous consultation between Iran and India on various issues and cooperation between the two sides in areas of interest, especially in regional issues, is not a choice, but an undeniable necessity to secure the national interests of the two countries,” he said, adding that such consultation will rob the opportunity from outsiders to impose their own illegitimate interests and ambitious policies on the regional countries by exploiting the cooperation gap between the countries in the region.

Iran and India enjoy historically strong relations. India has been one of the biggest foreign investors in Iran’s Chabahar port.