External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is likely to represent India at the swearing-in ceremony of newly elected Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran on August 5, people familiar with the development said on Monday. Raisi, a hardliner and known to be close to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, won the presidential election in June by a landslide.
India has already accepted an invitation by Iran for the event, which is likely to be attended by leaders and representatives of a number of countries. Last month, the external affairs minister called on President-elect Raisi during a stopover at the Iranian capital on his way to Russia.
Jaishankar also held extensive talks with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif in Tehran covering a range of key issues including the fast-evolving situation in Afghanistan. His visit to Iran coincided with Iran's hosting of an intra-Afghan dialogue in the country.
"External Affairs Minister Jaishankar is scheduled to pay a brief visit to Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Raisi," said one of the persons cited above. Iran has been a key country for India in the Gulf region.
The two sides have been jointly focusing on improving connectivity between South East Asia and Central Asia. At a connectivity conference in Tashkent last month, Jaishankar projected Iran's Chabahar Port as a key regional transit hub.
Located in the Sistan-Balochistan province on the energy-rich Iran's southern coast, the Chabahar port is being developed by India, Iran and Afghanistan to boost connectivity and trade ties.
Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Union Budget 2022 updates here.
Comments
0 comment