Modi, Pezeshkian Meet Ahead of BRICS Summit; Navigation and Seafarer Safety in Focus
Modi and Pezeshkian met in New Delhi on the eve of the BRICS leaders' summit, discussing secure sea lanes, open supply routes and seafarer safety.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in New Delhi on Friday, a day before the BRICS leaders' summit, with the talks centring on freedom of navigation, open supply routes and the safety of seafarers, the foreign ministry said.
The meeting came as the United States and Iran resumed tit-for-tat strikes in their six-month-old war, following a lull for much of August. India has been directly affected by attacks on vessels transiting the region, which have killed at least 10 Indians.
Modi restated India's position that all issues should be settled through dialogue and diplomacy, and stressed the need for sustained efforts to secure lasting peace and stability in the region, the ministry said. He also underlined the importance of safeguarding commerce at sea and the well-being of crews.
Speaking earlier at the BRICS Business Forum, where he shared the stage with Pezeshkian and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Modi said global trade could advance only if sea lanes remain secure, supply routes stay open and seafarers are safe.
Pezeshkian, addressing the same forum, urged the BRICS grouping to build an environment in which no country could disrupt the legitimate trade of others. He said the world was passing through one of its most complex moments, pointing to the growing use of economic instruments to exert pressure.
This was the second meeting between the two leaders in as many weeks. They last held talks on August 31 on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, where Pezeshkian told Modi that Tehran wanted a negotiated solution to its conflict with the United States.
India has condemned Iranian attacks on Gulf neighbours, regional energy infrastructure and ships that have caused crew deaths. Yet at the Bishkek summit, in a surprise move, it signed a joint declaration condemning the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran and Western sanctions.
New Delhi is balancing historical and cultural ties with Iran, strategic relations with Israel and close friendships with Arab states, where millions of Indian nationals live and work.