India-Iran-PMO
India has clarified that relations with Iran were time-honoured and civilizational in nature and no outside influence or pressure could force India to deviate from this path.
"India and Iran have recently taken several initiatives, including one relating to the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline. The pipeline epitomizes the nature and importance of the relationship, something that was strongly reinforced during the visit of President Ahmadinejad to Delhi in April" said an official statement issued here Thursday night.
"There have been other meetings between our Ministers and officials and their Iranian counterparts. The National Security Adviser, M K Narayanan has just returned after a very productive meeting with Iranian leadership, and also had a meeting with President Ahmadinejad, at which apart from economic issues like the IPI pipeline, certain other and related matters were discussed. India is not under any pressure, nor can it be pressurized to follow a course of action that is not dictated by our enlightened self-interest" added the statement.
The PMO statement went on to provide details about the queries raised by the Samajwadi Party leaders, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Amar Singh and the clarifications given by M K Narayanan.
"The nuclear deal did not and would not affect the autonomy of decision making in regard to foreign affairs in any manner," Narayanan told the two leaders during their meeting.
The national security advisor also clarified that the nuclear deal would not in a way affect India's strategic program.
The national security advisor also made it clear that "India always followed an independent foreign policy and under no circumstances would this position undergo a change, the least of all in the context of the civil nuclear cooperation agreement." The detailed statement issued by the PMO on the meeting between Narayanan and the Samajwadi Party leaders comes in the wake of a suggestion by Amar Singh that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should explain the Indo-US nuclear deal to the people of India.
Congress spokesperson, Jayanti Natarajan on Thursday said that Prime Minister's participation in G-8 summit should not be seen in relation with Nuclear Deal.
She said the UPA regime is committed to Nuclear deal, owing to which the Govt is in consultation with its allies.
Singh said on the basis of the briefings they had from the Left parties earlier, the SP had some misgivings which it had expressed in Parliament.
Narayanan was also asked about the anti-Iran vote cast by India in the IAEA which it felt amounted to compromising India's sovereignty, he said.
