The Foreign Affairs Ministries of India, Armenia, and Iran recently held their first trilateral meetings in Yerevan in an effort to improve regional cooperation. The delegations were led during the meeting by Mnatsakan Safaryan, the deputy foreign minister of Armenia; Seyed Rasoul Mousavi, the assistant to the Iranian foreign minister; and the joint secretary JP Singh, who is from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.
This coincides with the expansion of trilateral cooperation between Pakistan, Turkey, and Azerbaijan. As a result, in recent years, Armenia has become an essential geopolitical ally for New Delhi. According to a statement from the Armenian foreign ministry, officials from the three nations discussed economic issues, regional communication channels, and the potential for expanding cultural and people-to-people ties while meeting in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. The parties agreed to carry with their consultations in a trilateral format.
Representatives from the three countries spoke on “trilateral cooperation,” although the Armenian foreign ministry’s statement did not indicate in what areas. According to specific press reports from Iran, the three nations talked about the possibilities of connecting Armenia to India through Iran, utilizing the latter’s roads and railway links. Armenia has recently become an important geopolitical ally for India. Armenia has always backed New Delhi on the Kashmir issue and has received armaments from India throughout the years.
The International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) was a topic of discussion during the India, Armenia, and Iran trilateral meetings. The purpose of this freight corridor, which links India, Iran, and Russia, is to cut down on the time and expense of shipping cargo from Mumbai to Moscow. Russia, Iran, and India first agreed to the INSTC pact in 2002, and it has since been expanded.
“First trilateral political consultations btw MFAs of #Armenia, #Iran & #India were held in Yerevan. Sides discussed, particularly economic issues & regional communications, outlined prospects of deepening cultural & people to people contacts & trilateral coop in various fields,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia said on Twitter.
In 2022, Armenia and India commemorated the 30th anniversary of their bilateral diplomatic ties. In international institutions, the two nations have maintained strong political relations and productive cooperation. In 1992, Armenia and India formally established diplomatic ties. The foreign minister, Ararat Mirzoyan of Armenia, visited India in March 2022, while the minister of defense, Suren Papikyan, paid an official visit in April of the same year. Dr. S. Jaishankar, the minister of external affairs for India, traveled to Armenia in October 2021. With a history spanning many centuries and a shared cultural heritage, India and Iran have a close cultural heritage. An important factor in improving communication between the two countries is Iran’s Chabahar port.
