Iran Voices Readiness to Expand Cooperation with IndiaIranian President Mohammad Khatami said Tuesday that Tehran is ready to expand cooperation with India in all fields, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported.During a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Khatami said that the cooperation process will benefit both countries and also contribute to regional and world peace and stability. Hailing Vajpayee's visit as a turning point in the history of the bilateral relations, Khatami welcomed India's role in Iran's economic development. Vajpayee, who arrived here earlier in the day for a four-day visit, said that exchanges of views between the two countries are " important for strengthening the ties." Touching upon the efforts made by the joint economic committee in transferring gas from Iran to India, he said that economic cooperation should not be limited in the field of gas and oil. During the meeting, Khatami and Vajpayee signed the Tehran Declaration, which was aimed at further promoting relations between the two countries, IRNA said. The two countries also signed agreements regarding cooperation in the fields of energy, water, trade and science. Vajpayee, the first Indian prime minister to visit Iran since 1993, is due to address the Iranian parliament on Wednesday and further hold wide-ranging discussions with Khatami and other Iranian leaders on regional and international issues of common concern. The trade volume between Iran and India stood at about 1.17 billion U.S. dollars in 1999-2000, with Iran exporting roughly 1 billion dollars. |
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