By Sakshi Dayal
NEW DELHI, Sept 11 (Reuters) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday and underscored the need to protect the freedom of navigation and commerce, and the safety and well-being of seafarers, India’s foreign ministry said.
The meeting took place on the eve of the BRICS leaders’ summit in New Delhi, being held against the backdrop of the U.S. and Iran resuming tit-for-tat strikes in their six-month-old war, after a pause in fighting for much of August.
India is walking a tightrope in the conflict, boasting historical and cultural ties with Iran, strong, strategic relations with Israel and close friendships with Arab countries, where millions of its nationals live and work.
The South Asian nation has been particularly affected by attacks on vessels transiting the region, which have killed at least 10 Indians.
“Prime Minister (Modi) reiterated India’s consistent position that all issues must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy,” the ministry said in a statement.
“He also underscored the need for continued efforts to ensure lasting peace and stability in the region, safeguarding freedom of navigation and commerce, and the safety and well-being of seafarers,” it said.
This was the second meeting between the leaders in as many weeks.
They last held talks on August 31, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, where Pezeshkian told Modi that Tehran wanted a negotiated solution to its conflict with the U.S.
New Delhi has condemned Tehran’s attacks on its Gulf neighbours, energy infrastructure in the region, and on ships that have led to the deaths of crew members but, in a surprise move at the Bishkek summit, signed a joint declaration condemning the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran and Western sanctions.
Speaking at the BRICS Business Forum earlier on Friday, where he shared the stage with both Pezeshkian and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Modi had said global trade could only progress “if sea lanes are secure, supply routes remain open, and seafarers are safe”.
At the same event, Pezeshkian had called on the BRICS bloc to create an environment where no country could disrupt the “legitimate trade” of others.
“The world is at one of its most complex moments today. The increasing use of economic instruments to exert economic pressure has jeopardized the legitimate trade of other countries,” he said.
(Additional reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by YP Rajesh and Alex Richardson)
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