MNA – The Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says that Iran has always been and will be the reliable supplier of oil for India.







Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad made the remarks upon his arrival in New Delhi’s airport for a three-day visit to India on Monday afternoon.

Zarif said that the main goal of his trip to India is to attend and deliver a speech at a conference which will be held on Wednesday evening. He meant the annual international conference of the Raisina Dialogue, as it had been announced by the Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Ghasemi in a statement on Monday morning.

The foreign minister, who is accompanied by a large politico-economic delegation comprised of CEOs of entrepreneur companies from both private and public sectors, also added that he will hold talks with various Indian officials on visit.

He described Iran-India relations as good even after the re-imposition of US sanctions, adding "we have a good banking deal with the Indians that was signed last autumn and after the sanctions, and this agreement provides the country with the possibility of exporting and importing in addition to meeting other financial needs [of Iran].”

The Iranian top diplomat further said that the large economic delegation accompanying him indicates the interest of the Iranian private sector to grab the opportunity under the unjust sanctions.

He noted that there are many areas for the expansion of bilateral relations between Iran and India, one of which is Chabahar port. He added that Indians are interested in investing in Chabahar and in the transit infrastructure of Iran.

Zarif went on to praise the presence of a large number of knowledge-based firms accompanying him, saying that those enterprises accompany him on almost every trip.