Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi said in a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the two countries can use the existing opportunities to expand their relations. This was reported by Iranian news agency IRNA on September 17.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 22nd summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Samarkand. During the meeting, Raisi said that strengthening ties with India is one of Iran’s foreign policy priorities, describing the current relations between the two countries as friendly.

The Iranian President said that Tehran and New Delhi could develop their relations and expand their cooperation by using the existing opportunities in the field of oil, gas and transport (especially on the Chabahar-Central Asia route, which connects the ocean Indian to Central Asia).

The two leaders also discussed cooperation issues in the regional sphere and international issues.

Indian Prime Minister Modi, for his part, expressed New Delhi’s opposition to unilateral sanctions against Iran. He underlined the importance of Chabahar Port in southern Iran for cargo transportation and said the development of the port can contribute to the development of countries in the region. Modi underscored the common positions of Iran and India regarding the developments in Afghanistan and called for continued regional and international cooperation with Iran on this issue.

The leaders of the two countries exchanged invitations to visit each other’s countries.