By Mubasshir Mushtaq
India and Iran have signed an agreement to jointly develop Chabahar Port in Iran, Indian foreign ministry said in a statement Wednesday.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed Wednesday by Nitin Gadkari, India’s federal minister for shipping and road transport, and his Iranian counterpart Dr. Abbas Ahmad Akhoundi, minister for transport and urban development.
According to the agreement, Indian and Iranian commercial entities would lease two existing berths at the Chabahar Port and make it operational as container and multipurpose cargo terminals.
“The availability of a functional container and multipurpose cargo terminal at Chabahar Port would provide Afghanistan’s garland road network system alternate access to a sea port, significantly enhancing Afghanistan’s overall connectivity to regional and global markets, and providing a fillip to the ongoing reconstruction and humanitarian efforts in the country,” the statement said.
The port in southern Iran would connect India to war-torn Afghanistan and allow India and Afghanistan to conduct trade, and access Central Asia’s vast energy resources.
The agreement would be a boon for landlocked Afghanistan as it would open a new transit opportunity for the war-ravaged country to reach the ports of Mumbai through Chabahar.
India considers the pact pivotal as analysts believe the sea route is the only viable alternative to land trade, given the instability of Afghanistan and the reluctance of Pakistan to grant it land access there.
If the plan succeeds, India would gain direct land connection to Central Asia.
India is already involved in a number of infrastructure developments projects in Afghanistan.
Last year, India’s then Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid said in an interview that India was considering Chabahar port’s use in Iran to use it as direct access to western Afghanistan for “evacuation of mineral wealth.” (Anadolu Ajansi)
