President Pranab Mukherjee said lifting of sanctions against Iran also opens up many possibilities for India for geo-strategic stability.
Ahead of lifting of sanctions against Iran, President Pranab Mukherjee today pressed for reviving the long talked about Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline and using the Chabahar port to forge closer ties with the Persian Gulf nation.
Addressing a conference on 'Cooperative Development, Peace and Security in South and Central Asia', President Mukherjee said "we must remain cognisant that our ties have been the closest and mutually beneficial only when we have had established routes of connectivity with each other... In this regard, we must make full use of opportunities offered by the recent Iranian nuclear deal which opens possibility of establishing connectivity with the region through development of Chabahar Port in Iran."
In a deal reached in July with the US and other world powers, Iran agreed to limit its nuclear programme in exchange of lifting of sanctions, which till now have been prohibiting Indian firms from investing in the energy-rich nation.
The President said lifting of sanctions also opens up the possibility for India for implementing the International North South Corridor for a competitive and quick route to Eurasia. He also said that Central Asian States have considerable surplus energy and the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project is worth pursuing.
"The Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline can also be revived since Iran has already built section of the pipeline in its territory. Such energy projects could also prove to be game changers for geo-strategic stability," Mr Mukherjee said.
Sanctions against Iran and concerns of security of the pipeline passing through Pakistan had led to shelving of the IPI project a few years back. The US had promoted TAPI as an alternative to IPI for meeting India's growing energy needs.
The President said India shares two main interests with the countries in that region, security and counter-terrorism on the one hand, and mutually beneficial economic engagement, including the use of energy and natural resources, on the other.
The conference was organised by Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID), an autonomous research body where former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, is a member.