Corroborating the Iran President’s views, Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon said IPI pipeline was essentially a “doable project” though lot of work was required to make it viable.
Bilateral trade between the two nations are also expected to triple touching $ 30 billion.
“The IPI pipeline project is going forward positively. In near future we will finalise the pipeline,” Mr Ahmadinejad said.
Though the Iran President maintained all pending proposals would be finalised within 45 days, it is not clear at the moment whether the IPI pipeline will fall under that category. Iran is also considering a proposal to extend the same pipeline to China.
In a veiled reference to Iran’s global status position with regard to New Delhi’s recent pro-US stand, Mr Ahmadinejad, however, pointed out that that the “IPI project also have social, political and economic considerations.”
Though Iran was earlier quite enthusiastic about the IPI, the situation changed after India voted against Iran twice at the International Atomic Energy Agency. The project was put on the back burner.
Mr Ahmadinejad – the first Iranian President to visit India in five years – reminded New Delhi how the IAEA voting impacted another bilateral project of shipping five million tonnes of liquefied natural gas to India even though that project was in an advanced stage.
The Iran President’s visit takes place in the wake of Washington pushing India to ask Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment programme for its controversial nuclear power programme.
New Delhi has already reacted to the US suggestion tersely by pointing out that it does not need USA’s advice.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has stated that while India on one hand was advising Iran about its international commitments on nuclear issues, New Delhi was also asking the USA to leave it to the IAEA to decide on the true nature of Iran’s nuclear programme.
In his three-hour meeting, Mr Ahmadinejad briefed Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh about the true nature of Iran’s nuclear programme.
Praising New Delhi’s stand, he said, “It’s a myth that bullying powers can coerce everybody. Indian officials have given appropriate response to the other side.”
