Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi to visit India next week

New Delhi: Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi is set to pay a two-day visit to India from May 7 to boost overall bilateral relations in areas of trade, investment and connectivity, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

Araghchi's visit to New Delhi is taking place amid increasing tensions between India and Pakistan over the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and New Delhi may apprise him about the cross border linkages to strike.

Three days after the strike, the Iranian foreign minister offered to defuse tensions between India and Pakistan saying Tehran stands ready to use its good offices in Islamabad and New Delhi to "forge greater understanding at this difficult time".

"India and Pakistan are brotherly neighbors of Iran, enjoying relations rooted in centuries-old cultural and civilizational ties. Like other neighbors, we consider them our foremost priority," Araghchi said in a social media post.

Araghchi is visiting India primarily to co-chair with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar a meeting of the India-Iran joint commission, the people cited above said.

Ways to boost trade and economic cooperation are likely to be deliberated upon at the joint commission meeting, they said.

The Chabahar port project is also set to be reviewed at the meeting.

In this year's Union budget, India set aside an amount of Rs 100 crore for the Chabahar Port project, underlining its focus on connectivity projects with Iran.

Located in the Sistan-Balochistan province on the energy-rich Iran's southern coast, the Chabahar port is being developed by India and Iran to boost connectivity and trade ties.

The people cited above said the tensions between India and Pakistan may also figure in Araghchi's talks with Jaishankar.

President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned a recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, emphasizing the need for regional cooperation to confront terrorism.

Last Saturday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian dialled Prime Minister Narendra Modi and strongly condemned the Pahalgam attack.

In the conversation, Pezeshkian called for concerted efforts by countries in the region to eradicate the "roots of terrorism", according to the Iranian embassy.

On mutual economic ties between Iran and India, the President expressed hope for the expansion of cooperation in trade and infrastructure.