Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian for a photo shoot hand in hand on the cusp of global tensions on Friday, as he attended a key BRICS Business Forum in the Indian capital New Delhi.
While going into the forum venue at Bharat Mandapam, Modi was seen holding Pezeshkian’s hand. The two leaders also walked together with Russian President Vladimir Putin and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The photo captured India’s foreign policy attitude, showing its key engagement with countries like Iran and Russia and its strategic partnerships and consultations with other global powers.
The moment also symbolized the presence of leaders from the larger group of BRICS members who were meeting to discuss how to further strengthen cooperation in trade, investment etc. in global development and innovation.
Both leaders smiling as they walked side by side was a testament to the historic ties between India and Iran, which were reflected in the warm interactions observed between them.
For the first time since he came into office as Iran’s President, Pezeshkian is in India. The Chief of Staff of the Indian Air Force’s visit holds significance in the background of the ongoing conflicts between Iran, Israel and the United States.
India and the US are strategic partners in various areas while there are also longstanding diplomatic and economic relations between New Delhi and Tehran. The meeting at the forum on BRICS therefore underscored India’s bid to maintain autonomy in their relations amidst a global environment growing more polarised.
Gatherings from the BRICS Summit at the Developments of 18th at Delhi in India seeking economic cooperation and other global problems have a series of leaders.