The Hindu : Front Page : Manmohan calls up Ahmadinejad

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Thursday, Sep 07, 2006

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Manmohan calls up Ahmadinejad

Special Correspondent

Importance of strong, vibrant Iran-India relationship emphasised

New Delhi: Hoping to remove some of the bitterness that has crept into the India-Iran relationship over the past year, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke to each other on the telephone on Wednesday evening.

According to the Prime Minister's media adviser, the telephone call, which lasted 15 minutes, was initiated by Dr. Singh. Both leaders agreed that a strong and vibrant relationship is of strategic importance, and would be beneficial for peace and prosperity of the entire region, the Prime Minister's Office said in a brief statement.

Cooperation projects

"In this context both Prime Minister and President Ahmedinejad reaffirmed the need to accelerate the implementation of all ongoing cooperation projects, including those in the energy and transport infrastructure sectors."

New Delhi is involved in discussions with Tehran and Islamabad concerning the proposed project to run a gas pipeline from southern Iran to India via Pakistan.

India is also keen on importing 7.5 million tonnes of LNG annually from Iran, though the contract for 5 million tonnes has run into rough weather following the sharp rise in oil prices.

The Prime Minister's media adviser said Dr. Singh and Mr. Ahmedinejad expressed satisfaction at the current state of relations, "which both leaders affirmed, are deeply rooted in centuries of shared history and culture."

With the Iran issue likely to figure in the forthcoming summit of the Non-aligned Movement in Havana, India has been striving to impress upon Tehran and its Western interlocutors the necessity of finding a negotiated, diplomatic solution to the developing crisis.

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