Singh arrived in Tehran from Moscow after concluding his three-day visit to Russia, where he attended a meeting of defense ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). He also held bilateral talks with his counterparts from Russia, China and the Central Asian countries.
“Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh arrived in Tehran tonight. He will meet with the Iranian Defense Minister (Brigadier General Amir Hatami) during his visit,” his office said in a tweet.
India said on Friday it was “deeply concerned” by the situation in the Persian Gulf and called on the countries of the region to resolve their differences through a dialogue based on mutual respect.
A series of incidents in the Persian Gulf involving Iran, the United States and the United Arab Emirates in recent weeks have increased tension in the region.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Tehran tonight. He will meet with the Iranian Defense Minister during… https://t.co/eRuuvPTrh9
– ANI (@ANI) 1599325803000
“We are deeply concerned about the situation in the Persian Gulf,” Singh said in his speech at a SCO meeting here.
“We call on the countries of the region, all of which are dear and friendly to India, to resolve differences through dialogue based on mutual respect, sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of others,” he said in his speech at the combine. meeting of defense ministers of the SCO, the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Last month, the Iranian navy briefly took control of a Liberian-flagged tanker in what the United States said were international waters near the Strait of Hormuz, which links the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman to the south and the Arabian Sea further. there.
Iran has threatened to cut off oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz if the United States tries to strangle its economy.
The SCO, seen as a counterweight to NATO, has become one of the largest international trans-regional organizations, representing almost 44% of the world’s population stretching from the Arctic Ocean to the Indian Ocean and from the Pacific Ocean. to the Baltic Sea.
The objective of the SCO is to maintain peace, stability and security in the region.
Iran has observer status in the SCO, which was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
India and Pakistan were admitted as observers to the grouping in 2005. Both countries were admitted as full members of the bloc in 2017.
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