New Delhi, Sept 8, IRNA -- A former Indian ambassador to Uzbekistan and Turkey believes that the relations between Iran and India are strategically important not only for both countries but also for the whole region.

'The recent visit by the Secretary of Iran�s Supreme National Security Council Admiral Ali Shamkhani to Delhi marked a defining moment in the India-Iran strategic cooperation,' Ambassador M.K.Bhadrakumar said in an exclusive interview with IRNA here.

He went on to say that in his talks with the Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Shamkhani conveyed Tehran's interest in reviving trilateral India-Iran-Russia cooperation over the security and stability of Afghanistan and Doval, reportedly, concurred with the idea.

�During his call on the PM Narendra Modi, Shamkhani called for enhanced cooperation in the struggle against terrorism; Shamkhani suggested that cultural cooperation between the two countries can prevent the infiltration of Takfiri groups into India's Muslim community and PM stressed the importance of fighting the ideological roots of Takfiri terrorism,' Bhadrakumar said.

'Doval has taken a brilliant initiative by inviting Shamkhani for consultations at a sensitive juncture in regional security when there are gathering storms in the relations with Pakistan and the shadows of the Islamic State are creeping closer to India,' Ambassador M. K. Bhadrakumar said while praising the Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval for inviting Shamkhani to New Delhi for security consultations.

�The security situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating and the US�s Af-Pak strategy has reached a cul-de-sac. India watches helplessly as the Islamic State surfaces in Afghanistan and Indians get attracted to its seductive charm. India and Iran have shared concerns and common interests in this regard. This strategic convergence has been a reality ever since the Taliban turned Afghanistan into a revolving door of international terrorism.� he added.

Asked about Iran-India cooperation to stabilize the situation in Afghanistan, the ambassador said, 'In the second half of the nineties, India and Iran worked together to spearhead the anti-Taliban resistance.

Iran played a seminal role in putting together the Northern Alliance; however, with the Bonn Conference in December 2001 India, most regrettably, began acting as Washington�s sidekick and passively stood by even as the US ousted the Northern Alliance government headed by Burhanuddi Rabbani.�

He went on to say that a decade later, India today finds itself marginalized.

'The US has gone its way, seeking reconciliation with Taliban in a regional format that pointedly excludes India,' the former envoy added.

He reiterated that India is now reviewing its regional options vis-�-vis the Afghan situation and is prioritizing the resuscitation of its regional alliance with Iran.

'With Chabahar project getting under way, Iran�s help and cooperation will enable India to be far more effective in countering security threats that emanate from Afghanistan,� added Ambassador Bhadrakumar who has also served in the Indian Embassies in a number of countries, including former Soviet Union, South Korea, Kuwait, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Terming Iran as an important strategic partner of India, he said that the strategic understanding with Iran will also help India to advance the ambitious economic partnership with that country, envisaged during PM Modi�s visit to Iran. 'The two templates are actually mutually reinforcing.�

Bhadrakumar said that Iran is a unique country in the region.

'Unlike the Arab oligarchies in the Persian Gulf, Iran has a world view and a keen sense of its tryst with destiny, as it were,' he added.

Bhadrakumar went on to say that a strategic understanding provides the underpinning of the overall relationship.

'Thus, Doval has done the right thing to revive the working of the moribund Joint Defence Committee, which, incidentally, is a legacy of the Vajpayee government,� he concluded.

By IRNA