The government today emphasised in the Rajya Sabha that India's bilateral relations with Iran stand on their own and are not influenced by New Delhi's relations with any third country. India and Iran have had close, friendly and cooperative bilateral ties rooted in deep historical, cultural and civilisational links. <br/><br/>Mister of State for External Affairs V.K.Singh stated that the bilateral ties between India and Iran in recent years have been characterized by frequent interactions at the highest level including the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iran's President Hassan Rouhani in Ufa, Russia, on the 9th of this month. <br/><br/>Mr. Singh underlined that since September 2000, India has been cooperating with Iran in developing the international North-South Transport Corridor that will include the participation of Russia. <br/><br/>The two countries have also signed an agreement for bilateral cooperation in developing the Iranian port of Chahbahar. These projects are aimed at enhancing India's connectivity to Afghanistan and countries of the Central Asian region, the Minister added.