India and Iran on Tuesday reviewed the entire spectrum of their bilateral ties and the situation in Afghanistan during the talks between Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra and Deputy Minister for Political Affairs, Ministry for Foreign Affairs Ali Bagheri Kani. During the parleys on the telephone, the two sides discussed various elements of bilateral relations including progress on the Chabahar Port, the ministry of external affairs(MEA) said here.
Kwatra underscored India's commitment to strengthen bilateral cooperation with Iran in addressing shared opportunities and challenges. Both sides also discussed international and regional issues including Afghanistan, the MEA statement said. The telephonic conversation came nearly a month after Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian visited India. Iran has been a key country for India in the Gulf region. India and Iran have been jointly focusing on improving connectivity between South East Asia and Central Asia.
At a connectivity conference in Tashkent in July last year, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar projected Iran's Chabahar Port as a key regional transit hub including Afghanistan. Located in the Sistan-Balochistan province on the energy-rich Iran's southern coast, the Chabahar port is being developed by India, Iran and Afghanistan to boost connectivity and trade ties. India has been in touch with Iran over the developments in Afghanistan following its takeover by the Taliban on August 15.