Jalili, Latha stress development of Iran-India relations
\IRNA – Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Sa'eid Jalili and India's Deputy National Security Advisor Latha Reddy stressed need for development of bilateral relations, here on Wednesday.
1391/02/21 - 04:27
Jalili pointed to Iran-India strategic cooperation in naval security and their joint efforts against terrorism, piracy and drug trafficking and added that Iran welcomes India’s interest in expansion of cooperation with Iran.
Reddy for his part, conveyed the message of invitation of the Secretary of India's National Security to Jalili, stressing the importance of cooperation between Tehran and New Delhi for promotion of regional peace and security.
“Iran is an important partner of India and New Delhi is keen to develop cooperation with Tehran in all fields and in particular the filed of energy.”
Iran and the six world powers resumed negotiations in Istanbul on April 14 after a year of stalled talks and are due to continue their negotiations in Iraq's capital city, Baghdad, on May 23.
Tehran's chief negotiator Saeed Jalili headed the Iranian side, and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton led the delegations of the world powers.
Both Jalili and Ashton voiced satisfaction with the Saturday talks.
Jalili said after two rounds of fruitful talks with the six world powers that withdrawing sanctions against Iran should be a focal point in any future talks on cooperation between Iran and the world powers.
'It is of crucial importance that our (future) cooperation will entail reciprocal steps, that is, our nation's trust should be built in the trend of talks and cooperation,' Jalili told reporters at a press conference after the second meeting with the representatives of the G5+1 in Istanbul.
He said the Iranian nation is only demanding 'the very same rights enshrined in the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)', and reiterated, 'Iran, as an active member of the NPT, should enjoy its rights alongside its undertakings.'
'We deeply believe that removal of sanctions, which is demanded by the Iranian nation, is one of the issues which should receive attention in the trend of talks on cooperation,' the Iranian top negotiator underscored.
Asked to express his view about the two rounds of talks with the world powers, Jalili said, 'What we observed in the approach stated by the (Group 5+1) members today was an approach towards talks and cooperation and we consider this to be positive.'
'We have always stated that pressure and the language of threat is useless in dealing with the Iranian nation, but talks and cooperation can be a positive approach,' he added.
Washington and its Western allies accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program, while they have never presented any corroborative evidence to substantiate their allegations. Iran denies the charges and insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.
Tehran stresses that the country has always pursued a civilian path to provide power to the growing number of Iranian population, whose fossil fuel would eventually run dry.
Despite the rules enshrined in the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) entitling every member state, including Iran, to the right of uranium enrichment, Tehran is now under four rounds of UN Security Council sanctions for turning down West's calls to give up its right of uranium enrichment.
Tehran has dismissed the West's demands as politically tainted and illogical, stressing those sanctions and pressures merely consolidate Iranians’ national resolve to continue the path.