India commemorated ‘Chabahar Day’ on March 04,2021 on the sidelines of the Maritime India Summit-2021. India’s Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar addressed the summit on the occasion. The event commemorated five years of the signing of the Tripartite Agreement and the establishment of a Trilateral Transport and Transit Corridor among India, Iran, and Afghanistan.
The second edition of Maritime-India Summit is being held from March 2, 2021 to March 4, 2021. Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, inaugurated the summit on March 2. The event was held virtually this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ministers from Afghanistan, Armenia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Uzbekistan participated in the event.
“The Chabahar port has not only emerged as a commercial transit hub for the region but also facilitated the delivery of humanitarian assistance, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic,” informed Dr. Jaishankar in his speech.
Chabahar is a port in southeastern Iran, located on the Gulf of Oman. The only oceanic port of Iran, it is being developed with assistance from India. India and Iran had agreed to develop the post in 2003, however the plans folded after sanctions on Iran. In 2016, India and Iran signed an agreement to develop Shahid Beheshti port (one of the two ports in Chabahar).
India launched “Maritime India Vision 2030” in the summit with an aim to make the “Indian maritime industries at par with top global benchmarks in the next 10 years.”
“Let India be your preferred trade destination.Let Indian ports be your port of call for trade and commerce,” said India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the launch of Maritime India Summit.
With an eye on developing the domestic waterways, India aims to operationalise 23 waterways by 2030, announced Mr Modi.
“Domestic waterways are found to be cost effective and environment friendly [ways] of transporting freight,” he said.
Last held in 2016, the Maritime-India Summit is a flagship initiative of the Minister of State for Ports, Shipping & Waterways(Independent Charge). The summit explores the potential business opportunities in Indian Maritime sector towards making “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” with participation from various stakeholders in maritime sectors.
