Pranab Mukherjee to visit Iran on Nov 1
Font size:
NEWSX
India and Iran are expected to discuss ways to push the proposed trilateral gas pipeline project when External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee travels to Tehran on November one.
Mukherjee will be in the Iranian capital for two days for the Joint Commission meeting during which the two sides are expected to discuss various other initiatives to enhance their ties.
The two sides are expected to discuss a way forward in the proposed $ 7.4 billion Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline which is failing to take off due to pricing and security issues.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who also holds the Petroleum portfolio, had met Oil Minister Murli Deora during his visit here in June after which he said the two sides have resolved all bilateral issues.
However, there has been no forward movement on the issue. India has been boycotting Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline talks since August 2007 over transit fee demanded by Pakistan for passage of gas through that country.
Besides the transit fee issue, India also has apprehensions about security of the pipeline as it will pass through Pakistan.
An Iranian official said the ball is in India's court over the issue. Tehran feels that New Delhi had delayed the project because of the Indo-US nuclear deal and is hoping that the pipeline initiative will see forward movement since the atomic agreement has been completed.
Mukherjee will be in the Iranian capital for two days for the Joint Commission meeting during which the two sides are expected to discuss various other initiatives to enhance their ties.
The two sides are expected to discuss a way forward in the proposed $ 7.4 billion Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline which is failing to take off due to pricing and security issues.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who also holds the Petroleum portfolio, had met Oil Minister Murli Deora during his visit here in June after which he said the two sides have resolved all bilateral issues.
However, there has been no forward movement on the issue. India has been boycotting Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline talks since August 2007 over transit fee demanded by Pakistan for passage of gas through that country.
Besides the transit fee issue, India also has apprehensions about security of the pipeline as it will pass through Pakistan.
An Iranian official said the ball is in India's court over the issue. Tehran feels that New Delhi had delayed the project because of the Indo-US nuclear deal and is hoping that the pipeline initiative will see forward movement since the atomic agreement has been completed.
del.icio.us
Digg
Technorati
Email to a friend
Print version
Plain text
Comments (0 posted):
Post your comment