{"id":17350,"date":"2018-03-19T14:43:11","date_gmt":"2018-03-19T09:13:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=17350"},"modified":"2018-03-19T14:43:11","modified_gmt":"2018-03-19T09:13:11","slug":"iranian-presidents-visit-to-india-an-opportunity-to-review-bilateral-ties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/iranian-presidents-visit-to-india-an-opportunity-to-review-bilateral-ties\/","title":{"rendered":"Iranian President\u2019s visit to India: an opportunity to review bilateral ties"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><u>Context:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Iranian President Hassan Rouhani\u2019s recent state visit to India has strengthened the prospects of India-Iran relations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><u>Background:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>15<sup>th<\/sup> &#8211; 17<sup>th<\/sup> February, 2018:<\/strong> Hassan Rouhani, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, paid his first State Visit to India from 15-17 February 2018.<\/li>\n<li>President Hassan Rouhani\u2019s\u00a0visit took place against the background of <strong>rising tensions in the region<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>The visit also came amid <strong>uncertainty over the U.S.\u2019s next move on\u00a0Iran<\/strong>, given US\u2019s take on Iran nuclear deal.<\/li>\n<li>On the day when President Rouhani met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, U.S. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster asked <strong>countries to track their investments in Iran<\/strong> as these might be supporting terrorism and <strong>\u201cmurder across the Middle East\u201d<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><u>What are the nine-fold agreements and MoUs signed by India and Iran on a wide variety of issues? <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>At the end of President Rouhani\u2019s visit, India and Iran issued a joint statement, which highlighted the nine agreements signed. They are as follows:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income.<\/li>\n<li>MoU on Exemption from Visa requirement for holders of Diplomatic Passports.<\/li>\n<li>Instrument of Ratification of Extradition Treaty.<\/li>\n<li>MoU on Cooperation in the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine.<\/li>\n<li>MoU on the establishment of an Expert Group on Trade Remedy Measures to promote. cooperation in areas of mutual interest.<\/li>\n<li>MoU on Cooperation in the field of Agriculture and Allied Sectors.<\/li>\n<li>MoU on Cooperation in the field of Health and Medicine.<\/li>\n<li>MoU on Postal Cooperation.<\/li>\n<li>Lease Contract for ShahidBeheshti Port-Phase 1 of Chabahar during Interim Period between Port and Maritime Organization (PMO), Iran and India Ports Global Limited (IPGL).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><u>What are the major takeaways from Iranian President Dr. Hassan Rouhani\u2019s first State visit to India?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The major takeaways from Iranian President Dr. Hassan Rouhani\u2019s first State visit to India are as follows:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA):<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>India expressed its <strong>support for full and effective implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)<\/strong> or the nuclear deal, which has come under pressure from the Donald Trump Administration.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Connectivity: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The joint statement signed by the two leaders strongly stressed the need for <strong>\u2018a strong, united, prosperous, pluralistic, democratic and independent Afghanistan, while supporting the National Unity Government in the country\u2019<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Special concentration has been deployed on the <strong>Chabahar port<\/strong> where India and Iran will see development in the co-operation in the energy, petroleum and gas sectors.<\/li>\n<li>The two leaders discussed about the progress on the <strong>International North South Transit Corridor (INSTC), <\/strong>which begins in Bander Abbas, and runs north to the Caspian Sea shore of Iran<\/li>\n<li>Early operationalisation of the INSTC, and interim lease contract for Chabahar, is critical to <strong>enhancing India\u2019s connectivity with Afghanistan and Central Asia.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Energy cooperation:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Both sides agreed to continue and increase the<strong> pace of negotiation for reaching appropriate results on energy cooperation<\/strong>, including <strong>Farzad B gas field.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Trade and investment: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The two nations have agreed to set up a <strong>Joint Committee of officials to examine feasible options<\/strong>, including <strong>Rupee-Rial Arrangement.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>The two sides also agreed to undertake <strong>text based negotiations on Preferential Trade Agreement as well as conclusion of Bilateral Investment Treaty<\/strong> in a fixed time frame.<\/li>\n<li>India fully <strong>supports the accession of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the World Trade Organization<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><u>What are the reasons for which Iran is important to India?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The reasons for which Iran is important to India are as follows:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Historic relation: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Until 1947, India and Iran had long shared a common border as neighbours, with cultural and linguistic ties between the two ancient civilizations going back thousands of years.<\/li>\n<li>Independent India and Iran established diplomatic relations on 15 March 1950.<\/li>\n<li>Following the 1979 revolution, relations between Iran and India strengthened momentarily.<\/li>\n<li>In the 1990s,<strong>\u00a0India and Iran supported the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan<\/strong>\u00a0against the Taliban regime.<\/li>\n<li>They <strong>continue to collaborate in supporting the broad-based anti-Taliban government<\/strong> led by Ashraf Ghani and backed by the United States.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Chabahar port:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>India is growing and will <strong>need access to natural resources and market<\/strong> for which it needs <strong>access to central Asia circumventing Pakistan. <\/strong><\/li>\n<li>By being close to India, Iran will benefit significantly by being its <strong>gateway<\/strong> which is already seen in the form of <strong>Chabahar port.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>The most important feature of the Iranian seaport is that it can serve as a transit route for India to trade with <strong>Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia sidestepping Pakistan.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Crude oil needs: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Iran made <strong>strong oil deals<\/strong> with India.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Note:<\/strong> Iran is the second-largest supplier of crude oil to India, which makes Iran quite a big deal to India\u2019s economic interests.<\/li>\n<li>India also <strong>uses Iran\u2019s ports<\/strong> as a way to economically compete with Chinese-influenced Pakistan.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Iranian Nuclear deal:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Iranian Nuclear Deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JPCOA), signed by Iran and six global powers in 2015<strong>, created new opportunities for India in Iran.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Defense and security:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>India in the quest of becoming <strong>a Global Superpower<\/strong> requires projecting its power beyond its land &amp; maritime borders.<\/li>\n<li>The best method is to <strong>ally with friendly countries and co-develop their ports &amp; convert a part of it into Naval Facilities for Indian Navy.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><u>What are the some strong headwinds that the Indo-Iranian relationship is facing?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The major hurdles that the Indo-Iranian relations are facing are as follows:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>First:<\/strong> despite Trump\u2019s threats, Iran is placed much better in the region than ever before.<\/li>\n<li>But <strong>tensions between Washington and Tehran<\/strong> constrain the strategic space for India in dealing with Iran.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Second:<\/strong> What should be worrying for India is the <strong>slow pace of the Chabahar port project,<\/strong> which has displeased the Iranians.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Uncertainty surrounding American posture towards Iran<\/strong> is complicating India\u2019s ability to deliver fast on Chabahar as Western manufacturers remain wary of supplying equipment for the Iranian port.<\/li>\n<li>They have also indicated that despite India developing the project, <strong>it won\u2019t be exclusive to the country <\/strong>but <strong>Pakistan and China might also be invited<\/strong> to get involved.<\/li>\n<li>Bringing China and Pakistan in will be a <strong>challenge to Indian interests.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Third:<\/strong> The Indo-Iranian cooperation on Afghanistan is also coming under stress with <strong>Tehran joining Russia and China in managing Pakistan\u2019s role in the region. <\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Fourth:<\/strong> Though the larger trade and energy ties between India and Iran are gradually growing, they are being <strong>overshadowed by India\u2019s growing stakes in the Arab world and Israel.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Fifth:<\/strong> Other challenges in bilateral relations relate to India&#8217;s <strong>growing ties with USA, Israel, Saudi Arabia and UAE,<\/strong> all of which are intractable rivals of Iran.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><u>Conclusion:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Both India and Iran seem to have come to the conclusion that there are a large number of areas in which their interests coincide and converge.<\/li>\n<li>And the Iranian president\u2019s visit to India shows how the two countries are showing maturity and pragmatism in dealing with the ground realities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Context: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani\u2019s recent state visit to India has strengthened the prospects of India-Iran relations. Background: 15th &#8211; 17th February, 2018: Hassan Rouhani, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, paid his first State Visit to India from 15-17 February 2018. President Hassan Rouhani\u2019s\u00a0visit took place against the background of rising tensions in&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/iranian-presidents-visit-to-india-an-opportunity-to-review-bilateral-ties\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Iranian President\u2019s visit to India: an opportunity to review bilateral ties<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":17352,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-editorials","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/journal-neo.org03445642323-5359c114f4ed00127ab12f5e1bbe22007d5e5d8b.jpg?fit=1002%2C558&ssl=1","views":{"total":0,"cached_at":1700801063,"cached_date":1704629543},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17350"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17350\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}