Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting Monday with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in the Central Asian city of Bishkek.

After the meeting, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) told media persons, “The two leaders discussed bilateral ties. They also discussed the recent developments in the West Asia conflict and shared perspectives on the evolving situation. Prime Minister expressed concern at the escalation of tensions in the region and reiterated India’s consistent position that all issues must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.”

It was also said that PM Modi reiterated the need for continued efforts to ensure lasting peace and stability in West Asia. “Calling for safeguarding the freedom of navigation and commerce, he (Modi) emphasized that civilians and civilian infrastructure, including commercial shipping and seafarers, must not be harmed under any circumstances,” the MEA stated.

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The prime minister is also learnt to have underlined India’s readiness to closely cooperate with Iran in multilateral organisations, including BRICS and SCO. “Prime Minister conveyed that he looked forward to welcoming President Pezeshkian to India for the BRICS Summit,” the ministry added.

This was the first meeting between the two leaders since the war in West Asia broke out in February this year, when the US and Israel attacked Iran. The war has dragged on, although there is a fragile ceasefire which has been violated several times in the last few months.