Iran, India vow to work together to counter security challenges, enhance multilateralism

The statement was signed by Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani and his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval at the end of his daylong trip to the Iranian capital Tehran.

It reiterated the commitment of both sides to fighting terrorism in all of its forms in order to protect peace, stability, and security in the region.

The two sides also emphasized the importance of boosting cooperation within bilateral as well as regional and multilateral frameworks with the goal of achieving regional integrity.

The statement referred to connection routes as a main element of creating regional integration and achieving collective welfare. In this context, the two sides called the Chabahar Port project the symbol of bilateral cooperation, under which India has been developing two terminals at the Iranian southeastern port as a way to transport goods to Iran, Afghanistan, and central Asian countries.

The Monday statement emphasized the importance of increasing joint efforts with Russia and other countries in central Asia and the Caucasus region with the aim of developing existing corridors, particularly the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), as well as other connection routes that use Chabahar as a main transit hub in the region.

The statement meanwhile expressed concern over the economic and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, and voiced support for the formation of an inclusive government with the meaningful participation of all Afghan groups and ethnics.