New Delhi will utilize every means and opportunity at its disposal to support Iran’s admission to the BRICS group of emerging countries, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, According to India’s national security advisor.
Iran’s membership in BRICS will boost its economic and political capabilities, according to Ajit Kumar Doval, who met with Ali-Akbar Ahmadian, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, on the margins of a BRICS national security summit on Monday.
He stated that India will use all possible tools to facilitate Iran’s full membership in the bloc.
The 13th Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisers and High Representatives on National Security convened in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Monday.
The BRICS Group, which consists of the world’s developing countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), is sometimes considered as an alternative to Western economic and political predominance.
According to the Institute for Security Studies in South Africa, the five-nation bloc accounts for 42 percent of the global population and around 26 percent of the global economy.
Iran is one of dozens of countries interested in joining the BRICS and has made a formal application.
Ahmadian, for his part, emphasized Tehran and New Delhi’s long-standing and amicable connections, advocating further cooperation between the two countries.
He also stated that Tehran and New Delhi share common viewpoints and concerns in the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking, and expressed Iran’s willingness to further cooperation with India in this area.
Doval also said Chabahar Port in southeastern Iran plays a key role in boosting economic relations between the two countries.
He also called for the removal of existing obstacles on the path of the seaport’s development.
The Iranian security chief also pointed to Chabahar port as a symbol of Tehran-New Delhi cooperation and called for quicker implementation of agreements between the two countries in the fields of transportation, energy, and banking.
Chabahar port, located in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province, is the country’s only oceanic port in the Gulf of Oman and holds great economic and political significance. To improve the country’s maritime trade Iran has taken serious measures for the development of the port.
In 2016, India, Iran, and Afghanistan signed a trilateral agreement to give New Delhi access to Kabul and Central Asia via the port.
Later, in a separate deal, Iran and India agreed to install and operate modern loading and unloading equipment including mobile harbor cranes in Shahid Beheshti Port in Chabahar.
However, Iranian authorities say they are not satisfied with the pace of work carried out by Indian companies at Shahid Beheshti terminal in Chabahar as well as in the infrastructure projects connecting the port to the wider transportation network in Iran.
This comes despite the fact that New Delhi has received exemptions from American sanctions on Iran to be able to develop the port.
Last month, Ali-Akbar Safaei, head of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization, said that in an earlier visit by an Indian delegation to Iran, the two sides have agreed to settle the differences regarding the long-term contract for the development of the Chabahar Port.
Doval also highlighted the role of the Islamic Republic of Iran and India in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), voicing New Delhi’s readiness for closer cooperation with Tehran to play greater roles at the international forum.
Ahmadian also said that utilizing the capacities that NAM holds is among the priorities of Tehran’s foreign policy.
With its 120 member states, the NAM is the largest grouping of countries outside of the UN, making it an important role player in global and multilateral affairs.
Earlier this month, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian who visited the Azerbaijani capital of Baku to take part in the Ministerial Meeting of the NAM said the movement lends a “unique scope” to expand multilateralism and tackle new global challenges.
