Rio de Janeiro, July 7 : External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Sunday met Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on the sidelines of the 17th BRICS Summit here, with the talks between both focusing majorly on the "recent regional developments".

"Glad to meet FM @araghchi of Iran this evening. Our conversation focused on recent regional developments," the External Affairs Minister posted on X and also shared a picture in which he is seen shaking hands with his Iranian counterpart.

The meeting assumes significance as it took place against the backdrop of recent tensions in West Asia, including the Iran-Israel conflict, and US strikes on Iran. India stressed de-escalation and "a return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy for an early restoration of regional peace, security, and stability".

India has also underlined its concerns about security and stability in the West Asian region.

In the last week of June, EAM Jaishankar spoke to Araghchi and discussed the overall situation that emerged following the hostilities between Iran and Israel.

The EAM also thanked the Iranian FM for Tehran's assistance in the evacuation of Indians who were stuck in Iran.

India and Iran share a millennia-long history of interactions. The contemporary relationship draws upon the strength of these historical and civilisational ties, and continues to grow further, marked by high-level exchanges, commercial and connectivity cooperation, cultural and robust people-to-people ties, an official statement mentions.

Notably, India and Iran signed a friendship treaty on March 15, 1950.

Also, the visit of late former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Iran and the signing of the Tehran Declaration in April 2001, followed by the visit of President Seyyed Mohammad Khatami and the signing of the New Delhi Declaration in 2003 deepened the India-Iran cooperation.

The official statement further notes that bilateral relations were further boosted by the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Iran in May 2016. During the visit, a joint statement titled 'Civilizational Connect, Contemporary Context' was issued, and 12 MOUs/Agreements were signed. The Trilateral Agreement on Trade, Transport and Transit between India, Iran and Afghanistan was signed.

Former President Hassan Rouhani visited India in February 2018, during which a joint statement titled 'Towards Prosperity Through Greater Connectivity' was issued.

Prime Minister Modi also met President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia in October 2024, where the two leaders re-discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral relations.

This was their first meeting since President Pezeshkian assumed office in July 2024.

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar visited Iran in 2024 to attend the official ceremony to pay condolences following the demise of President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Dr. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other Iranian officials.

/IANS