Had a very fruitful meeting with Iranian Defense Minister

Tehran, Iran:

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday he had had a “very fruitful” meeting with his Iranian counterpart Brigadier General Amir Hatami, discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on the issues. regional security issues, including the situation in Afghanistan.

Singh arrived in Tehran from Moscow on Saturday to interrupt transit after concluding his three-day visit to Russia where he attended a meeting of defense ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). He also had bilateral talks with his counterparts from Russia, China and Central Asian countries.

“We had a very fruitful meeting with Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami in Tehran. We discussed regional security issues, including Afghanistan and bilateral cooperation issues,” a- he said in a tweet.

“The two defense ministers discussed ways to advance bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional security issues, including peace and stability in Afghanistan,” Singh’s office said in a statement. Separate tweet on meeting held Saturday at Iran’s request. Defense Minister.

The meeting between the two ministers took place in a “cordial and warm atmosphere,” he said, adding that the leaders emphasized the centuries-old cultural, linguistic and civilizational ties between India and the ‘Iran.

Had a very fruitful meeting with Iranian Minister of Defense Brigadier General Amir Hatami in Tehran. We discussed regional security issues, including Afghanistan and bilateral cooperation issues. pic.twitter.com/8ZENfAgRPS

– Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) September 6, 2020

Singh’s visit to Iran is considered important as it comes a day after expressing India’s deep concern over the situation in the Persian Gulf and calling on countries in the region to resolve their differences through a dialogue based on the mutual respect.

A series of incidents in the Persian Gulf involving Iran, the United States and the United Arab Emirates in recent weeks have raised tensions in the region.

“We are deeply concerned about the situation in the Persian Gulf,” Singh said in his speech at a SCO meeting in Moscow on Friday.

“We call on the countries of the region – all of which are dear and friendly to India, to resolve disputes through dialogue based on mutual respect, sovereignty and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs”, he said in his speech at the joint meeting. meeting of defense ministers of the SCO, the Collective Security Treaty Organization and member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Last month, the Iranian Navy briefly took control of a Liberian-flagged tanker in what the United States has called international waters near the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman to the south and to the Arabian Sea beyond.

Iran has threatened to disrupt oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz if the United States, which has already imposed crippling sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program, attempts to strangle its economy.

Trade relations between India and Iran have traditionally been dominated by the Indian importation of Iranian crude oil. In 2018-2019, India imported USD 12.11 billion of crude oil from Iran.

However, after the significant reduction exemption period (SRE) ended on May 2, 2019, India suspended the import of crude from Iran, according to the Indian embassy here.

The United States had called on countries, including India, to reduce oil imports from Iran to “zero” by November 6, 2019 or face sanctions.

Bilateral trade in 2019-2020 was USD 4.77 billion, a decrease of 71.99% compared to trade of USD 17.03 billion 2018-2019. What is significant is that Indian exports to Iran between 2011-12 and 2019-20 increased by 45.60%, according to the mission’s website.