Iran’s Ties With Other Nations Don’t Govern Our Ties: S M Krishna

New Delhi, Jan 3, IRNA – India has a long history of bilateral relations with Iran and would like to keep relations with it warm and work towards strengthening relations in future, said External Affairs Minister, S M Krishna. “Our relations with Iran are not dependent on Iran’s relations with a third country. They are independent of other countries’ relations with Iran, whether strained or otherwise. I’m confident that Iran recognizes this as well,” Krishna said in an interview with Business Standard, published on Sunday, January 1, 2011. Full Interview: A confrontation between Iran and the US is brewing over the Strait of Hormuz through which India gets 50 per cent of its oil. If the supply of oil is disrupted, India could face a serious problem. Are you taking any diplomatic initiatives to prevent such a confrontation? It is true that we import a large amount of oil and when we import oil, some of these factors will have to be taken into consideration. Necessary overtures are being made with Iran: as we have a long history of bilateral relations with that country which have been quite good and there has been no tension or concerns. Forty per cent of our oil requirements is met by Iran. This is all the more reason why we would like to keep relations with that country warm and work towards strengthening relations in future. But our relations with Iran are not dependent on Iran’s relations with a third country. They are independent of other countries’ relations with Iran, whether strained or otherwise. I’m confident that Iran recognizes this as well. So does that mean that the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline to which the US had objected, will now be put back on the active list of economic and diplomatic initiatives taken by India? There are various other circumstances around the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline, but we are proceeding on the basis that things are positive-looking. Concerns there are more economic than political. Hence, it is necessary for all countries engaged in the pipeline project to keep this in mind. Countries will have to care about each other, help each other. There is the question of assured imports which cannot be left to the vagaries of price fluctuations. We are unable to pay Iran for the oil India buys from it because of problems in banking channels… We are working out a mechanism through which the oil bill could be paid./end