India, Iran Reach Final Agreement On Chahbahar Port; Aims To Completely Bypass Pakistan – Tehran Says
India and Iran have reached a final agreement on Chabahar Port, India's first foreign port project, the Economic Times reported on January 16. The construction of this Iranian port has long been a subject of discussion between the two countries. It also became a hot topic when Prime Minister Modi visited Tehran in 2017.
At the Connectivity Conference held in Tashkent in 2021, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had planned the Chahabahar port as an important transport hub for the region, including Afghanistan.
On November 23, 2023, Indian Foreign Minister Vinay Kwatra visited Tehran to chair the India-Iran Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) together with Iran's Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs (Political Affairs) Ali Bagheri Qani. Ta.
He had said in a tweet that they "discussed bilateral issues, connectivity projects including Chahabahar Port and shared common views on current challenges in the region..."
What is a project?
Chabahar Port in the Gulf of Oman, located in Sistan-Baluchistan province in southeastern Iran, is a connectivity project that has been jointly developed by the two countries since 2003.
They signed a deal to invest his $8 billion in ports and related industries. It will be developed as a transit route to Afghanistan and Central Asia. There are two major ports, but India will develop only one of the two, namely Shaheed and Beheshti ports.
In addition to India and Iran, Afghanistan is also involved in this project. In January 2016, the three countries signed a trilateral economic agreement for port development.
Over the years, the Chabahar project has grown to include a port, free trade zone, 628 km of railway line to Zahedan, and just over 1,000 km of railway to Shirak on the Iran-Turkmen border.
The project did not work. Some countries within and outside the region, citing political interests, were not happy that the two countries would embark on a project that would have far-reaching implications for regional politics, economics, and strategy.
Agreement finally reached
Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar visited Iran on a two-day visit following the attack on Houthi military positions by US and UK forces, where he met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. His visit to Iran began with a meeting with Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Muheldad Bazurpash.
EA Minister and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi met to discuss accelerating the implementation of the Iran-India agreement, including the Chabahar port development project, and compensation for further delays.
Iranian Embassy in India said on social media platforms: Jaishankar tweeted: "In-depth and productive discussions on building a long-term cooperation framework for Chahabahar Port. We also discussed the International North-South Transport Corridor."
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January 17, 2024 at 03:13PM
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