India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently visited three Middle Eastern countries and now he is hosting the Iranian President in Delhi. Modi has been able to establish good relations with opponents of the Middle East.
Iranian President Hassan Rohani reached India on Thursday on a three-day tour. In this journey, he will try to push the billions of energy and infrastructure related deal to the billions of dollars between the two countries, including modernisation of Chabahar Port of Iran.
According to information given by the Iranian government, Rohani will first go to Hyderabad where he will meet Muslim scholars and visit many religious and cultural sites. On Saturday, he will be in Delhi, where he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On this occasion both the businessmen of the two countries will also meet together.
Iran wants India to invest in projects related to its petrochemical plants, railways and industrial development. In Iran, there is concern about the fact that the United States can repeal the 2016 nuclear deal again and impose stringent economic sanctions against it, thereby putting pressure on their investors and projects.
India is one of the key buyers of Iranian oil. From 2012 to 2016, when the US and European Union had established sanctions against Iran, it was India who kept on buying from it. Prime Minister Modi visited Iran in 2016 and promised to invest $500 million in the project related to the development of Chabahar Port.
Modi has signed six agreements with Palestinian Authority and agreed to help and invest in $50 million in Palestinian territories. With this money there is a plan to open a hospital and educational institution. After meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Modi said, “I once again assure President Abbas that India is tied to the promise of taking care of the interests of the Palestinian people.”
Some observers believe that the visit of the Prime Minister Palestinian areas to balance the growing defense and economic ties with Israel. India has long been committed to the creation of a separate Palestinian nation and has recognized Palestine as a country since 1988.
Modi, who is strengthening relations with Iran, has recently returned from a trip to the three Middle East countries. In addition to the Palestinian territories, he also went to Oman and UAE. Earlier, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured India for six days. Modi’s diplomatic negotiations show that he is able to take advantage of the neutral stance in the Middle East region so that he can get the best results from Indian investment.
There are also friendly and traditional relations between India and Iran. Although many times India has to face American pressure on this issue, it has maintained balance in its relations. A US Congressional report states that India has “generally supported” the implementation of sanctions imposed on Iran. Although Iran was financially sanctioned, it still remained a part of India’s economic relationship with Iran.
The important thing is that India’s strong relationship with Israel has never been interrupted by its relations with Iran. There are strategic reasons for the relationship between Iran and India. They have nothing to do with relations with Israel.
