Khurshid said India has remained "good friends" with Iran

in a substantive way despite the fact that it could not stand by that country in critical moments when it came to voting in the United Nations. "I know they would be disappointed, anyone is disappointed if you can't get someone to stand by you in moments which are critical. But the important thing is we were able to continue talking with Iran and Iran understood why we were doing and what we were doing," he said. Khurshid said India stands at the forefront of candidates who are seen in a position to give Iran the kind of comfort, advice and handholding that would be needed in the "very very critical and crucial discussions and dialogue that Iran needs to do." "India had to take positions and obviously not necessarily align themselves with the aspirations or at least perceived aspirations of Iran in recent times and the good thing is and the good news is Iran has understood this," he said. The Minister also rued that the public at large is not willing to engage themselves in discussing the country's foreign policy and stressed the fact engagement of ordinary citizen with the world has reduced. He also said the India-Iran Joint Commission meeting would be held in a "few weeks" here and issues relating to enhancing of trade and the currency involved in trade would be taken up for discussion. On India's stake in Chabahar in Iran, he said the country would need corridors and passages to reach Afghanistan in its efforts to rebuild the war-torn country after the US-led NATO troops leave by 2014. India's interest in the Iranian port is to get a direct access to Central Asia with Iran planning to expand the port in five phases and to ramp up its capacity to 20 million tonnes by 2020.