Indo-Iran joint investments in energy sector will go a long way in ensuring energy security for India besides providing New Delhi an expanded role in the region, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Ardeshir Larijani said today.
Larjani, who met Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari, also emphasised that there is a vast scope for enhancing cooperation between the two countries in areas of agri-products and scientific research.
In response to Larijani's reference to the nuclear issue, Ansari hoped the impasse will be resolved through dialogue in a peaceful manner as reports suggest that the dialogue process is moving in the right direction, a press release issued by the Rajya Sabha secretariat said.
Stating that terror and absence of convergence of views are the factors that negate peace in the world, Ansari cautioned the world should be alert to such factors.
Larijani said cultural proximity should be taken advantage of by the political class in both the countries for building a better future.
"On various issues including on terrorism/extremism India and Iran have similar views," he said.
Highlighting the broad commonalities of views between the two countries on major global issues, the Lok Sabha Speaker said India considers Iran an important strategic partner in maintaining peace and stability in Middle East and South Asia, more importantly in Afghanistan and Syria.
Kumar hoped the two countries would help in evolving a conducive environment towards resolution of complex issues facing these two regions.
Welcoming the Iranian delegation led by Larijani, Ansari recalled an anecdote from Jawaharlal Nehru's 'The Discovery of India' wherein India and Iran were described as two brothers who were separated in the childhood and were reunited through the good old tunes that they played on their flutes.
