Rich opportunities for new Iran, India ties

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a meeting with Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in New Delhi Friday said in the new setting, there are a lot of opportunities to expand ties and boost bilateral cooperation.

Zarif and Doval agreed that extremism is the region’s most serious problem and said the fight against extremist and terrorist groups should go full steam ahead.

They also condemned violent and extremist acts of terrorist groups in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan and exchanged views on the way out of these crises.

On Afghanistan, Zarif told the Indian official that Iran supports development of democratic structures and progress in its eastern neighboring country.

Referring to the meetings with his Indian counterpart and prime minister, he called for capacity building in the areas of transit, energy, and trade.

Doval recalled the threat posed by the terrorist group of IS and said, “Through cooperation and joint action, all countries shall prepare the ground to fight against the terrorist group.”

He hailed the stance of the Islamic Republic of Iran in countering terrorist groups and said, “The oppressed people of the region have suffered a lot from inhuman acts of Daesh [Arabic acronym for IS].”

Zarif arrived in New Delhi from Islamabad on Thursday night.

In addition to meeting his counterpart, he met the premier, vice president, and minister of shipping during his second visit to India since he became foreign minister in 2013.

He arrived in Tehran early Saturday.