India a foreign policy priority,says Rouhani

Expansion of all-out relations with India will be a foreign policy priority for the next Iranian administration, Rouhani is learnt to have said in the message. This was in response to Singhs message Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had congratulated him on his victory in Irans June 14 presidential election.

Rouhani,a moderate,had visited India in 2002,when he had met his counterpart NSA Brajesh Mishra and had also called on then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

With Rouhanis election,India expects a pragmatic shift in Tehrans foreign policy. Indian experts have categorised his election as a positive development,as it brings in expectations of a greater moderation and reflects the desire of the people of Iran to re-engage with the world.

India,the worlds fourth-largest petroleum consumer,is Irans second largest oil customer after China and purchases around $12 billion worth of Iranian crude every year,about 12 per cent of its consumption.

India and Iran have been holding discussions at regular intervals on issues related to economic cooperation under the joint commission mechanism,which was established in July 1983.

The meeting of the Joint India-Iran Commission provided an opportunity to review bilateral economic and cultural cooperation. In fact,in the last meeting couple of months,India had announced its decision to invest in developing the Chabahar port,a key project that will serve as a link to Afghanistan.