EAM Jaishankar holds wide-ranging talks with Iranian counterpart after row over Prophet
New Delhi(PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday held extensive talks with his visiting Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, focusing on boosting bilateral ties, and deliberating on the situation in Afghanistan and the Ukraine crisis.
The talks took place in the backdrop of widespread anger in West Asia over controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammed made by two former BJP spokespersons.
"Wide ranging discussion with FM @Amirabdolahian of Iran. Reviewed our bilateral cooperation, including in trade, connectivity, health and people to people ties. Exchanged views on global and regional issues including JCPOA, Afghanistan and Ukraine," Jaishankar tweeted.
Both sides also signed an agreement on mutual legal assistance in civil and commercial matters.
Abdollahian is on a three-day visit to India to further enhance bilateral ties.
It is the first visit to India by a senior minister of a member nation of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation after the controversial remarks on the Prophet anguished the Arab World.
"Welcoming FM @Amirabdolahian to New Delhi. Our discussions today will reflect our close and friendly relations," Jaishankar tweeted ahead of the talks.
Abdollahian's visit to India came days after Iran joined Kuwait and Qatar in summoning the Indian ambassadors over the remarks against Prophet Mohammed by Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal.
Since then, several countries including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Indonesia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Jordan, Bahrain, Maldives, Malaysia, Oman, Iraq and Libya have denounced the comments.
However, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday categorically rejected OIC's criticism of India following the comments on the Prophet.
The Iran nuclear deal also figured in the talks.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, was finalised in 2015 between Tehran and several world powers including the EU. It was aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions. The US had withdrawn from the deal in May 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran. There have been fresh efforts now to restore the deal.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Abdollahian will travel to Mumbai and Hyderabad after concluding his engagements in New Delhi.
Iran has been a key country for India in the Gulf region.
The two sides have been jointly focusing on improving connectivity between South East Asia and Central Asia.
At a connectivity conference in Tashkent in July last year, Jaishankar projected Iran's Chabahar Port as a key regional transit hub including Afghanistan.
Located in the Sistan-Balochistan province on the energy-rich Iran's southern coast, the Chabahar port is being developed by India, Iran and Afghanistan to boost connectivity and trade ties.
India has been in touch with Iran over the developments in Afghanistan following its takeover by the Taliban. The Iranian National Security Advisor had attended a regional conclave hosted by India in November on the Afghan crisis.
The conclave was also attended by the NSAs of Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Wide ranging discussion with FM @Amirabdolahian of Iran.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) June 8, 2022
Reviewed our bilateral cooperation, including in trade, connectivity, health and people to people ties.
Exchanged views on global and regional regional issues including JCPOA, Afghanistan and Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/eADoLWkyiE
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
