Rouhani to come to India this week for a three day visit.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will arrive in India on Thursday for a three- day visit during which he will discuss the "latest regional and global developments" with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders, an Iranian news agency said today.
This will be the first visit to India by Rouhani after taking charge as the Iranian President in August 2013. Rouhani will arrive in Hyderabad on February 15, a senior Telangana Police official told PTI.
The Iranian president will address a gathering of Muslim intellectuals, clerics and leaders on Thursday, official sources in the Iranian Consulate General in Hyderabad said. On February 16, Rouhani will address a Muslim congregation at the Mecca Masjid after Friday prayers at the historic Hyderabad mosque, they said. Islamic scholars from different schools of thoughts will be present among the congregation, the sources said. The Iranian leader is also expected to visit historic sites in Hyderabad, including the Qutub Shahi Tombs at Golconda, before leaving for New Delhi, they added. In New Delhi, apart from holding extensive talks with Modi and other Indian leaders on key bilateral and regional issues, the Iranian leader is also scheduled to deliver a special address at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) on Saturday, Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) said.
During the meetings, Rouhani and Indian leaders will discuss, "the latest regional and global developments and the finalisation and exploitation of Chabahar port as soon as possible that can be very effective for bilateral trade in the region and mutual access of Afghanistan to regional and international markets", according to the media report. During Modi's bilateral visit to Iran in 2016, nearly a dozen pacts were signed between the two countries.
The Trilateral Transit Agreement (Chabahar Agreement) was also signed by the three transport ministers of India, Iran and Afghanistan in the presence of Modi, Rouhani and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. The contract entails capital investment of USD 85 million by India for equipping the Chabahar port in southeastern Iran. The strategically important port will open up the transit route for India to Iran and Afghanistan, bypassing Pakistan.
India and Iran have robust economic and commercial ties covering many sectors though it has traditionally been dominated by Indian import of Iranian crude oil and the country continued to engage with Iran at the time of sanctions. According to the external affairs ministry, India-Iran bilateral trade during the fiscal year 2016-17 was USD 12.89 billion. India imported USD 10.5 billion worth of goods mainly crude oil and exported commodities worth USD 2.4 billion.
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