Willing to relax visa norms, share oil & gas with India: Iran

Iran today expressed willingness to share its vast oil and natural gas resources with India for the prosperity of its people and offered to simplify visa norms to strengthen the relations between the two countries.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who is on a three- day visit to India, said the current century belongs to Asia where New Delhi and Tehran have an important role to play.
Addressing a Muslim congregation at the historic Mecca Masjid here after offering Fridayprayers, he emphasised on the importance of the Chabahar port in his country, saying it will open up the transit route for India to Iran, Afghanistan (bypassing Pakistan), Central Asian countries and also Europe.

Under an agreement, India is to invest USD 85 million for equipping Chabahar port in southeastern Iran.
"Iran has abundant oil and natural gas resources and is willing to share them with India for its progress and prosperity of (its) people," Rouhani said.
He said his country is hopeful India will reciprocate its offer to simplify visa rules to enhance people-to-people contact.

"Iran is willing to further simplify visa procedure (for Indians) and I am hopeful the Indian government, too, will look into it for better relations between the people of India and Iran."
On the bilateral relations, he said, "We, in the Islamic Republic of Iran, believe that the people of Iran and India had friendly relations with each other (for long)."

"We had (close) cultural, economic and other relations with each other since the last many centuries."
Earlier in the day, Rouhani visited the historic Qutub Shahi tombs complex here. These monuments are popularly known as seven tombs and built in Iranian architecture style.
Telangana government officials and Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) office-bearers briefed the visiting dignitary about the architecture and significance of the over 400-year-old monuments.
Rouhani began his three-day India visit from Hyderabad where he arrived last evening. This was his second visit to Hyderabad and the first after assuming charge as the president of Iran in 2013.

In the evening, Rouhani left for New Delhi.
Union Minister of State for Power R K Singh and Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Governor E S L Narasimhan and Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Muhammad Ali saw the Iranianpresident off at the Begumpet Airport.