Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani called for plans to conduct trade transactions with India using the two countries’ own currencies, namely rial and rupee.

In a meeting with Indian prime minister’s national security adviser, held in Tehran on Monday, Shamkhani stressed the need to activate the “rial-rupee mechanism”.

He emphasized that the launch of the financial transaction system using the currencies of Iran and India would be a major step towards the fulfillment of the common purposes in the economic field.

Highlighting the “strategic independence” of Iran and India as well as the civilizational, historical and cultural commonalities between the two nations, Shamkhani added, “The relations between Iran and India are not against any other country and not influenced by the will of the third parties either.”

Pointing to the suitable opportunities for the promotion of cooperation between Tehran and New Delhi in the energy sector, transportation industry, technology and banking ties, provided by regional and international developments, Shamkhani lauded India’s active involvement in political, economic and security initiatives with the participation of the Central Asian and the Persian Gulf states.

He added that cooperation between Iran and India to seize the opportunities provided by the regional and global developments and their interaction in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the BRICS will fulfill the national interests of the two countries.

For his part, Ajit Kumar Doval stressed the need for independent states to realize the characteristics of the new global developments and strengthen their domestic capabilities to promote regional cooperation and play a more active international role.

The national security adviser of India’s prime minister also hailed the outcomes of the recent détente between Iran and Saudi Arabia on the regional and international arrangements. Doval also praised the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council for handling the process of talks that resulted in the restoration of diplomatic ties between Tehran and Riyadh.

Calling for continued cooperation between India and Iran to help restore stability in Afghanistan and prevent the presence of Takfiri terrorists in that country, the Indian adviser emphasized the necessity for the formation of a responsible and inclusive government in Afghanistan.

He further described Iran’s southeastern port city of Chabahar as India’s gateway to cooperation with the Islamic Republic, expressing New Delhi’s readiness for closer consultations with Tehran on the settlement of problems in that regard.

By Tasnim