NEW DELHI, 2 September 2005 — In an attempt to expand strategic relations with Iran, India’s External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh will embark on a three-day visit to Tehran on today.
Natwar’s visit is aimed at expanding strategic cooperation with a country that has become a crucial pillar for India’s energy security and its growing interests in Middle East and Central Asia.
This is the first visit by a senior minister from the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was sworn in as the head of a new government in Tehran.
In Iran, Natwar will meet his counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki and is expected to call on Ahmadinejad.
With the world closely watching Iran’s nuclear program and the US mounting pressure on Tehran to suspend its nuclear fuel operations, Natwar has a tough task ahead to assert India’s independent foreign policy and its commitment to take its traditional relationship with Iran forward in the context of changed power realities in Asia and the world.
The fact that Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani came to India a couple of days ahead of Natwar’s visit to Tehran shows the importance Iran attaches to India’s position on its nuclear energy program.
Larijani’s visit also hints at a desire on the part of Tehran to include non-aligned countries like India in its nuclear negotiations that are currently dominated by the European troika — Britain, France and Germany.
“The trip, above everything else, will offer an insight to us into the new power structure in Iran and their growing expectations from the relationship with India. It will also assure Iranian leaders that the closer relationship between India and the US will not affect India’s relationship with Iran,” an official said.
“The nuclear issue will, of course, be discussed. But there are important issues relating to expanding trade and economic cooperation and India’s enhanced role in the development of infrastructure relating to trade and transit,” the official added.
Natwar’s visit also provides an opportunity to New Delhi to assure Tehran that the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project is crucial for India’s energy security and the future of the project will not be influenced by the American disapproval of it, but will be guided solely by its independent interests.
During his visit, Natwar will also discuss the opening of more land routes to Central Asia through Iran and India’s continued assistance to developmental and infrastructural projects in Iran — like the Chabahar port, which provides alternative access to Afghanistan through a 218 km road being constructed by India from Delaram to Zaranj. — Additional input from IANS.
