Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani made the remarks in a meeting with Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Kumar Doval who arrived in the Iranian capital on Monday.

Referring to the historical and cultural ties between Tehran and New Delhi, Shamkhani considered the will of the heads of the two countries as well as the strategic independence of Iran and India as the main platforms in the development of bilateral cooperation.

Stressing that Iran-India relations are not against any other country and are not affected by the will of third parties, the top Iranian security official added, “Global and regional developments have created very suitable conditions for strengthening bilateral interactions in the fields of energy, transportation and transit, technology and banking between Iran and India.”

“Activating the rial-rupee mechanism is a necessary and important action that will play a decisive role in advancing common goals in various economic fields,” he emphasized.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Shamkhani welcomed the promotion of India’s role and position in regional and international developments and said that Iran considers New Delhi’s active presence in political, economic and security initiatives with the participation of the countries of Central Asia and the Persian Gulf region to be necessary and constructive.

Shamkhani also considered the Iran-India collaboration in benefiting from the opportunities resulting from regional and global developments, as well as their active cooperation in the SCO and the BRICS group as beneficial for providing the national interests of the two countries.

“Decisions taken to remove the obstacles to continued cooperation in the Chabahar project can be very effective in changing the current unfavorable situation,” he concluded.