Trilateral or tripartite meetings seem to be the order of the day insofar as Afghanistan and its neighbours are concerned. The Presidents of Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan met in Tehran earlier this week. Then there is the Iran-Pakistan-Afghanistan grouping. Now, Iran says it is discussing a similar format of talks with Afghanistan and India.
Mohammad Ali Fathollahi, the visiting Iranian deputy foreign minister for Asia and Pacific Affairs, said here on Friday that the matter was discussed in his meeting with external affairs minister S.M. Krishna. Mr Fathollahi was of the view that the neighbours of Afghanistan should hold such talks to promote a regional strategy for resolution of the conflict in that country.
From New Delhi’s perspective, the Iranian proposal of a Iran-Afghanistan-India trilateral meeting should dovetail with a suggestion being made in official circles here of reviving the Russia-Iran-India triangular cooperation with particular focus on Afghanistan.
Foreign secretary Nirupama Rao, who was in Moscow last week, has said that India and Russia have “agreed to coordinate our policies more closely on Afghanistan”.
For its part, Russia pursues a similar triangular engagement with Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Presidents of Russia, Afghanistan and Pakistan are expected to meet soon in Moscow. Mr Fathollahi said Afghanistan was “an important portion” of his discussions here. He also had a thorough discussion with the Indian side on the development of the Chabahar port in Iran.
He was confident that the Iran-India relations will grow if both sides take advantage of their economic complementarities.
Mr Fathollahi said he did not hear any “concern” in New Delhi about a US pressure to downgrade the India-Iran ties. In the same vein he dismissed suggestions that the sanctions imposed by the US and other countries had impacted Iran’s economy or its trade ties with Asian countries, including India.
The Iranian minister spoke of his country’s “spiritual support” for Palestine and how Iran is doing its bit by supporting Palestinian groups “politically”.