The meeting took place on Tuesday in Kazan, southwestern Russia, on the sidelines of the BRICS summit.
The two leaders also discussed areas of cooperation, including the development of Iran's Chabahar Port and the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). The Chabahar Port, located in southeastern Iran, was contracted by India in May to develop and operate over the next 10 years.
Through the Chabahar Port, India can send agricultural goods and other cargo to Afghanistan and Central Asian countries without passing through the Karachi and Gwadar ports in Pakistan.
The INSTC is a multimodal transport project agreed upon by Russia, India, and Iran in 2002 to improve regional connectivity and promote trade and cooperation. It connects the three countries via waterways and railroads, utilizing the Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea. The project had seen little progress due to Western sanctions but has gained renewed attention following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
BRICS, launched in 2006 as a group of emerging economies including Brazil, Russia, India, and China, has expanded to include South Africa, Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Ethiopia, evolving into a non-Western coalition.
reporter
Kim Joo-heon
jhkim123@ajunews.com
