'Democratic Iran Would Seek Closer Ties With India': Exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi

Iran's exiled crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, on Friday said that a democratic Iran would seek close and cooperative relations with India. 

Speaking at a news conference, Pahlavi said, "A democratic Iran is committed to having the best possible relationship in the context of sovereignty and liberty with any country that adheres to the same values and can work with us and can partner with us in many different domains."

He said that in modern history, Iran and India had enjoyed good relations. He recalled when former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had visited Iran. "I was very young at the time, so the relationship goes back a long time," he said.

Praising India's civilisational heritage, he said that both countries could take pride in their histories. "It's a rich culture and the rich history that we observe in India as well. I think we can, as nations, be very proud of our heritage, and this could be a natural path to a very good bond and cooperation."

Pahlavi argued that global challenges required deeper international collaboration and highlighted that India would be important in addressing them. "We have so many challenges to face on our planet. We have issues of energy, and we have issues of population. We have issues of energy shortages. We have water crisis," he said.

He commended India's strengths and said that it is a leading country when it comes to technology and expertise. 

He said cooperation could extend to new and renewable energy and other emerging sectors, adding that he looked forward to closer engagement between experts, entrepreneurs and business communities in both countries. "I'm looking forward to have our experts, our entrepreneurs, our business sector, and anybody else working very closely with our Indian counterpart," he said.

"Hopefully once we are freed, we can start an entirely new chapter," he said.

Iran and India share centuries-old cultural links, including literary, linguistic and trade connections, and maintained close ties during much of the 20th century. Relations have evolved since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, shaped in recent years by regional politics, sanctions and energy considerations.

(With inputs from agencies)