Iran President Hassan Rouhani lauds India’s cultural diversity saying it as ‘Living Museum’

NewsBharati    16-Feb-2018
Total Views |

Hyderabad, February 16: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani arrived in Hyderabad to embark his 3-day India tour aiming to bolster India-Iran ties in fields of politics, economy, culture, information technology, health, industry and agriculture. Iran President lauded India’s cultural diversity. 

Warmly received by State Minister for Power R K Singh and Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan at Begumpet airport, Iran President Hassan Rouhani said that Iran and India have strong historical relations in various fields. In this visit, President Rouhani is accompanied by a number of Iranian officials including Vice-President for Economic Affairs, Mohammad Nahavandian, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh and many others. 

"Iran wants unity, independence and support for the East. Iran wants fraternity with India. We do not want to have any differences with other countries as well," said Hassan Rouhani.

The Iranian President lauded India's culture and traditions and said the country was a "living museum" of religions and schools of thought. "We see a lot of temples, other places of worship, and they are living in peace. They are having peaceful co-existence," he said.

 

“Till the recent centuries, the Persian language was spoken by most people in the Indian Subcontinent,” President Rouhani was quoted as saying earlier. He went on to say one of the main bilateral issues between Iran and India is transit system which will be discussed during his visit to India.

Rouhani added Iran’s Chabahar Port, as well as connection to Afghanistan and Central Asia, is highly significant for India. “To this end, we have already signed a trilateral agreement with Afghanistan and India.”

During his two-day visit, President Rouhani, who is accompanied by a 21-member delegation, will also meet people of Iranian-origin living in Hyderabad. He will also address a congregation at the historic Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad.

Connectivity and energy are seen as key items on the agenda for discussions between Rouhani and his Indian hosts: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind. PM Modi will also be hosting a lunch for President Rouhani on Saturday while Prez Kovind will host a banquet for him.

Based on the agreement India has pledged to invest $85 million in the equipment of Chabahar port which opens up the transit route for the country to Iran and Afghanistan, bypassing Pakistan.

The Iranian president also said, “Iran and India have similar concerns about the latest regional developments including terrorism.” Further, he added that “as two main members of Non-Aligned Movement, Iran and India will hold talks on terrorism during my visit to India.”

He said the visit has two aspects including cultural, and political and economic. “The first part of our visit begins with Hyderabad in which we will meet Indian Muslims including Shiite and Sunni scholars. We will also pay a visit to historic sites.”

President Rouhani said the second part of the visit will take the Iranian delegation to New Delhi for economic and political talks with Indian high-ranking officials.

“During the visit, in addition to holding talks with a number of high-ranking officials including India’s President in and Prime Minister, we will also sign several MoUs in different fields,” he said.