REFERENCE NOTE No.23/RN/Ref./July/2016 For the use of Members of Parliament NOT FOR PUBLICATION 1 INDIA-IRAN BILATERAL RELATIONS Prepared by Smt. Neelam Sethi, Additional Director (23034876 ) and Shri Abhishek Thakur, SLA of Lok Sabha Secretariat under the supervision of Smt. Kalpana Sharma, Joint Secretary and Shri C.N. Sathyanathan, Director.- The reference material is for personal use of the Members in the discharge of their Parliamentary duties, and is not for publication. This Service is not to be quoted as the source of information as it is based on the sources indicated at the end/in the text. This Service does not accept any responsibility for the accuracy or veracity of the information or views contained in the note/collection. MEMBERS' REFERENCE SERVICE LARRDIS LOK SABHA SECRETARIAT, NEW DELHI
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REFERENCE NOTE
No.23/RN/Ref./July/2016
For the use of Members of Parliament NOT FOR PUBLICATION1
INDIA-IRAN BILATERAL RELATIONS
Prepared by Smt. Neelam Sethi, Additional Director (23034876 ) and Shri Abhishek Thakur, SLA of Lok Sabha
Secretariat under the supervision of Smt. Kalpana Sharma, Joint Secretary and Shri C.N. Sathyanathan, Director.-
The reference material is for personal use of the Members in the discharge of their Parliamentary duties, and is not for publication. This Service is not to be quoted as the source of information as it is based on the sources indicated at the end/in the text. This Service does not accept any responsibility for the accuracy or veracity of the information or views contained in the note/collection.
Indian Embassy in Iran has brought out a bi-monthly magazine named “Ain-e-
Hind’ (Mirror of India) taking India to the drawing rooms of the general Iranian
public.
MoU was signed between the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the
Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO) to encourage scholars, authors,
media, film community, artists, youth and sportspersons to participate in each
other's cultural and other such festivals planned for the coming two years.
On 03 May, 2013 India Cultural Center in Tehran was officially inaugurated by the
then, Hon’ble External Affairs Minister of India, during the17th India-Iran Joint
Commission Meeting (JCM).
There are about 8,000 Iranian students studying in India. India provides 67
scholarships every year to Iranian students under ITEC, ICCR, Colombo Plan and
IOR-ARC schemes.
India over the years has emerged as one of the favorite tourist destinations for
Iranian tourists and every year around 27,000 Iranians visit India for various
purposes10
Indian community in Iran
The Indian community in Iran, which was sizeable earlier, has dwindled and now it
is a small one consisting of about 100 families in Tehran and about 20 in Zahedan.
There are a number of Indian students in Iran, approximately 1300, a large number
of whom pursue theological studies in Qom.
There is an Indian school run by the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan in Tehran and
another in Zahedan.
In February 2011, India successfully outsourced the tourist visa collection in Tehran
to facilitate the visa services for Iranian tourists visiting India.
10 http://www.indianembassy-tehran.ir/
8
Both countries hope for a successful outcome of first meeting of the Joint Working
Group on Tourism.11
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's visit to Iran
At the invitation of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Dr. Hassan
Rouhani, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi visited Iran from 22 to 23 May 2016.
During the visit, the Prime Minister called on the Supreme Leader of Iran and held a wide
ranging discussion on subjects of mutual interest with President Dr. Rouhani. The two
sides exchanged views on bilateral relations, the evolving regional situation as well as
global issues of mutual interest and recalled the principles on development of bilateral
relations articulated in the 'New Delhi Declaration' of 23 January 2003. The leaders were
united in their determination to build a strong, contemporary and cooperative relationship
that draws upon the strength of the historical and civilisational ties between the two
countries. India and Iran inked a total of 12 agreements on economy, trade, transportation,
infrastructure development, culture, science & technology and academic cooperation.
Highlights of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Visit to Iran12
1. The Chabahar Project agreement signed during Prime Minister Modi's visit intends
to deepen ties between Iran and India and will cost $500 million to develop.
2. The new port would allow India to access Afghanistan and Europe by
circumventing Pakistan.
3. India will invest billions of dollars in Iran following the removal of sanctions.
4. The two countries have also agreed to consult 'closely and regularly' on combating
the threat of terrori
11 http://www.indianembassy-tehran.ir/ India-Iran Relations-Indian Embassy. 12 www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome by MAIL TODAY BUREAU PUBLISHED: , 23 May 2016 )
14 www.acedamicjournals.org/AJPSIR (African Journal of Political Science and International Relations- India-Iran Relations:
Prospects and Challenges
12
India's involvement in the Chabahar port project is termed as a "peace project" and
"transit diplomacy"15
Conclusion
Iran is an important country in India's immediate 'economic and security space' with
India as a large and growing buyer of energy resources, and Iran being a major supplier
there is a good basis to construct a close energy cooperation relationship in future.16
Both
Iran and India have stakes in peace and stability in the region, which faces several
challenges including terrorism and violent extremism.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s visit to Iran has imparted a timely impetus to
the ongoing efforts of the two countries and their business entities to expand bilateral
cooperation and mutually benefit from new opportunities in the wake of lifting of
secondary sanctions against Iran earlier this year. His visit to Iran is a turning point in
India-Iran relations and the beginning of new chapter in bilateral cooperations.17
15 Views expressed by Prof. Mandana Tishe Yar during the IPIS-VIF joint forum on March5,2016 in Tehran 16 Annual Report- 2014-15 Ministry of External Affairs Page No..49 17 IDSA: Issue Brief: Modi's visit to Iran: Will it provide a new momentum to bilateral relations
13
References
1 http://www.indianembassy-tehran.ir
2 India Iran Historical Links Part I: http://www.indianembassy-tehran.ir