Eurasia Press & News
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian will visit India next week with key focus expected to be on connectivity, particularly through the Chabahar port, and the situation in Afghanistan, Indian media reported.
This will be Amirabdollahian’s first visit ever to India since taking charge last year. He was expected to visit India earlier this year, but that got postponed as Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar was confirmed with COVID-19, WioNews reported.
As India constructs the first phase of the Shahid Beheshti Port in Chabahar, the region remains a primary focus of engagement. The Chabahar port has handled more than 8200 TEUs and 1.28 million tons of bulk cargo since it opened in December 2018.
Last month both foreign ministers had a telephone conversation in which the Indian top diplomat invited the Iranian counterpart to visit New Delhi. During the conversation, they discussed the situation in Afghanistan, Yemen, and Ukraine.
Meanwhile, speaking at an event in Slovakia on Friday, the Indian foreign minister lambasted the West and the US for their sanctions against Iranian oil imports and not allowing countries such as Iran and Venezuela into the international market.
India has repeatedly defended its oil imports from Russia, Iran and Venezuela and has justified its increase in oil imports for this year. Jaishankar confirmed on Friday that India’s oil imports had gone up at least nine times between 2021 and 2022.
