Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday congratulated Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on joining "the BRICS family" during their meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in South Africa, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said.
"Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met H.E. Dr Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in Johannesburg on 24 August 2023, on the sidelines of the 15th BRICS Summit. [...] The Prime minister congratulated President Raisi on joining the BRICS family," the ministry said in a release.
During the meeting, the leaders discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation, including in trade and investment, connectivity, energy and counter-terrorism. The leaders agreed to boost infrastructure cooperation, including the Chabahar project — the project for the development of Iran's Chabahar port, viewed as an important transshipment port leading to Afghanistan and Central Asia.
Modi and Raisi also exchanged views on regional developments, including Afghanistan.
Raisi, for his part, congratulated Modi on the successful landing of the Indian lunar mission and thanked the Indian prime minister for support for Iran's BRICS membership.