Indo- Iran Political Relationship from 2002 to 2013

Abstract

Indo –Iran relations have an evidences of centuries back marked by meaningful interactions. These two Countries share a border till 1947, and they share some common features in their Language, Culture and Traditions. Both regions of South Asia and the Persian Gulf have Powerful Commercial, Cultural, Energy and people to people links. After independence, India and Iran have established diplomatic relations on March 1950. Currently India has two Consulates in Iran, Bandar Abbas and Zahedan. Shah of Iran visited India in March 1956 and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru visited Iran in September 1959. However their relations started improving during the 1960s and 1970s, as their interests co-occurred, both these nations started making active efforts to modify their relations by keeping up high level contacts, and was followed by very significant visits, especially, Prime Minister Narasimha Rao's visit to Iran in 1993 and President Hashmi Rafsanjani's visit to India in 1995. The status of both these countries is very significant in South and West Asian Region. India and Iran have harmonized, that their ties were not fixed only by the issue of culture and Islam but extend much farther. The common ambition for cooperation and friendship has lessened the misunderstandings, and both the countries can now look forward to a more stable and reliable relationship. In 1993 Prime Minister Narasimha Rao visited Iran where he told Ayatollah Khomeini that the destruction of the Babri Masjid was an isolated incident and did not encroach on India's secular character. In March 1994, Dinesh Singh, Indian External Affairs Minister officially visited Iran, and in January 1995Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati visited New Delhi. In April 1995 Also Rafsanjani President of Iran visited India and a wide range of discussions took place. In 1997, the election of Mohammad Khatami as President of Iran and the appointment of Iran's new foreign minister Kamal Kharrazi, and the friendly statements to develop cooperation on the basis of common respect argue well wishes for future Indo-Iranian bilateral and friendly relationship.