New Delhi/Tehran, Nov 11 (UNI) Iran’s security chief Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani called for the removal of barriers to the economic relations between Iran and India during his meeting with India’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Kumar Doval in New Delhi.
Shamkhani, who arrived in India’s capital on Tuesday to attend the 3rd Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan on November 10, said that economic relations between the two countries “are not satisfactory and effective steps must be taken to remove barriers in the related field”, Mehr news quoted him as saying.
He also called for accelerating full commissioning of Chabahar Port, and added that Iran wants to use its capacities for development and growth of the region so that establishing strong bilateral relations with India can pave the way in this direction.
In addition to cooperating with India in international, regional and bilateral arenas, Iran wants to expand relations with India based on its scientific, technical and transit capacities, Shamkhani added.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Iran’s top security official pointed to the recent developments in Afghanistan and Western countries’ plan to destabilize the region.
Shamkhani emphasized the need for cooperation and collaboration of all regional countries in helping Afghan people and dealing with insecurity.
He expressed hope that the two countries of Iran and India could further cooperate with each other with regard to Afghanistan security.
India’s National Security Adviser, for his part, emphasized the significance of establishing relations with Iran and stressed the need to expand cooperation, especially in economic and security fields.
Doval expressed regret about the insufficient level of economic relations between the two sides and stressed the need to remove obstacles.
In his remarks at the Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan, Shamkhani said there should be a collective endeavor to form an inclusive government in Afghanistan and counter the humanitarian crisis in the country and added that Iran was ready to help in this regard.
Shamkhani reminded that the first and second editions of the meeting were held in Tehran and issues like terrorism, development, and repairing damages inflicted by the US and the West were covered there.
He highlighted Iran’s three concerns on the current situation in Afghanistan, naming “interference of some countries in transferring terrorist agents to Afghanistan”, in an oblique reference to Pakistan, expansion of poverty and humanitarian crisis, and the immigration crisis that necessitates aid for the Afghan people to be able to stay in their own country, Irna news agency said.
Iran’s SNSC secretary also said that the countries participating in the meeting had several tasks to do, including holding those responsible for the current situation in Afghanistan accountable, making collective endeavor to form an all-inclusive government, and countering the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
Pressuring the US to release Afghan funds abroad, fighting against terrorism in Afghanistan, and helping solve the immigration crisis, were among other tasks, according to the official.
Elsewhere in his speech, Shamkhani said that the US occupied Afghanistan for 20 years under the pretext of fighting terrorism, but it left a crisis-stricken Afghanistan behind, instead of making an inspiring exemplary country as the US used to claim in early years of occupation.
Shamkhani said that everyone in the world witnessed how the US-made military and security system in Afghanistan collapsed and the US had to escape the country in a scandalous manner, it quoted him as saying.
UNI/RN