By Rajeev Sharma
For the next few days, Indian diplomats will be walking a rare if not unprecedented diplomatic tightrope as the country plays host to both U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and a 56-member Iranian trade delegation.
Clinton arrived in Kolkata on Sunday afternoon and was scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and United Progressive Alliance Chair Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on Monday evening. Interestingly, Clinton was meeting Singh and Gandhi ahead of her meeting with External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, which is scheduled for Tuesday morning. (Generally, a visiting foreign minister meets first with his or her counterpart before calling on the prime minister).
Simultaneously, the Iranian delegation, led by president of the chamber of commerce Yahya Al Eshagh, arrived in the Indian capital for another round of talks over what New Delhi can sell to Tehran. The Iranian trade delegation’s objective is to find ways for India to circumvent tough U.S. sanctions that have been strangulating the Iranian economy. Along with petroleum manufacturers, the Iranian delegation includes members from the food, pharmaceuticals, machinery and steel industries.
It’s certainly an odd diplomatic situation for India, with its leadership engaged with representatives of two rival nations both wanting to deepen ties with India.
Read the full story at The Diplomat