Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi will meet EAM S Jaishankar in Delhi. (File)
Iran's foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi will begin his maiden visit to New Delhi tonight. On Thursday, he will meet his counterpart S Jaishankar, and together, they shall co-chair the 20th Joint Commission meeting between India and Iran.
This year's meeting comes at a time when New Delhi and Tehran are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the signing of the India-Iran Friendship Treaty. At the bilateral meeting, both sides will discuss the entire gamut of ties, exploring new possibilities and strengthening existing relations.
While the Joint Commission is supposed to meet every year, there has been a gap in its meetings because of the COVID-19 pandemic and domestic pre-occupations of the two countries. "The latest status of the implementation of bilateral economic agreements between the two countries will be reviewed and followed up in the course of the commission's work," Iran's Embassy in New Delhi posted on X.
After the bilateral meeting, the Iranian foreign minister will call on President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Mr Araghchi's visit comes amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan after a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam in which 26 civilians were killed by terrorists with links to Pakistan. India has responded with precision missile strikes on terror camps in Pakistan as well as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Iran has strongly condemned the religiously-motivated terror attack in Kashmir by Pakistan-linked terrorists. In a statement issued by the foreign minister himself, Tehran said, "Iran strongly and unequivocally condemns the terrorist attack against tourists in Pahalgam. Our thoughts and prayers are with the innocent victims and their families. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the people & government of India."
Iran has also expressed concern over the rising military tensions between India and Pakistan, urging both sides to exercise restraint. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Tehran has had long-standing ties with both New Delhi and Islamabad and views the current situation with serious concern.
He expressed hope that both nations would take steps to prevent the situation from deteriorating further.
Earlier this week, Mr Araghchi had visited Pakistan, leading a political delegation and holding meetings with his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar.
