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Iranian FM calls for expansion of ties with New Delhi

Iran Materials 28 February 2014 02:27 (UTC +04:00)
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has underscored enormous potential for expanding relations between Iran and India, Press TV reported.
Iranian FM calls for expansion of ties with New Delhi

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has underscored enormous potential for expanding relations between Iran and India, Press TV reported.

Zarif made the remarks in an address during the fifth R.K. Mishra Memorial Lecture, organized by the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi late on Thursday. Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid and a large number of Indian political and cultural experts were also present at the gathering.

The Iranian foreign minister also referred to the historical and cultural commonalities between Iran and India, saying these commonalities can prepare the ground for the further expansion of relations between the two counties.

"India and Iran enjoy millennia of relations. That is how we look at history. Our historical background goes into not decades but centuries. That is how we have formed strong bonds of affinity through centuries of interaction," Zarif stated.

The Indian foreign minister also termed Iran as an effective and significant power in the region and called for the further expansion of relations between New Delhi and Tehran.

Iran and India, given enormous potential they have, can play an effective role in the developments of the region and world through cooperation and consultation, Khurshid said.

Zarif, who is on a two-day official visit to India, arrived at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport earlier in the day.

India is among Asia's major importers of energy and relies on Iran to meet a portion of its energy demands. Iran was the second-largest supplier of India's crude before the US-engineered sanctions were imposed on Tehran about two years ago.

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