New Delhi: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani inaugurated the strategic Chabahar Port on the Gulf of Oman.
Chabahar Port is a seaport in Chabahar located in southeastern Iran, on the Gulf of Oman and serves as Iran’s only oceanic port.
The $340-million project opens up a new strategic transit route to Afghanistan and Central Asia for India through Iran, bypassing Pakistan. India and Iran signed a historic trilateral agreement on Establishment of International Transport and Transit Corridor in May 2016.
Iran has also asked the Indian government to “manage” or operate the first phase of the port, until work for the second phase is finalized.
Last year, India committed up to $500 million for the development of the Chabahar port along with associated roads and rail lines. For India, the investment in Chabahar was important since the port will bolster a trade route for land-locked Central Asian countries that would bypass rival Pakistan.
India has always been an important partner for Afghanistan and India’s policy dictates close collaboration with the war-torn country. India has spent more than a decade cultivating and nurturing its relationship with the country — from building highways and other high-profile construction projects to providing financial assistance. US President Donald Trump has said that he wants to further develop a strategic partnership with India to achieve his country’s goals in Afghanistan.
The port has two docks and has an international airport. Iran’s Navy and Air Force have bases in the city, adding to the ports value.
Over a month ago, India sent the first consignment of wheat to Afghanistan through Chabahar Port, which Swaraj remarked as a gift from Indians to Afghans.
The shipment was flagged off from the Kandla port in Gujarat with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Afghan counterpart Salahuddin Rabbani joining the ceremony through video conferencing.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of Phase 1 of Shahid Beheshti Port Development Plan in Chabahar, president Dr Hassan Rouhani stated that there was no way except moderation and coexistence to stabilise and develop the region, adding: “Our region is not the region of conflict, extremism, foreign interference and Shiite-Sunni division”.
He added: “Transit is the best communication tool for nations,” continuing that Chabahar-Zahedan road should be corrected and become two-lane.
Mentioning that Chabahar-Zahedan Railway has had 27 per cent progress, Dr Rouhani said: “From Chabahar, we can connect to the shores of the Black Sea and Eastern Europe”.
The Chabahar port is expected to open up new opportunities for trade and transit from and to Afghanistan and enhance trade and commerce between the three countries and the wider region.
