India sees Chabahar Port as gateway to Central Asia

Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Vijay Kumar Singh, addressing the Iran-India Business Forum on Tuesday, highlighted the importance of Chabahar Port for India as the gateway of trade ties of the country with the Central Asia.

Kumar Singh said that Chabahar Port is of prime significance to India, adding, “As regard to relations with Central Asia, Iran is of importance and we should consider its opportunities.”

He went on to say that Iran is not just a trade partner for India but it is a close neighbor.

“Iran and India enjoy commonalities in economic and security fields,” he added.

The relations between the two countries are not something new but the trade communities of the two countries have known each other for a long time, the Indian official underlined.

Referring to various measures that should be taken by both countries, Indian minister called for finding common investment grounds. 

Pointing to rice and tea as the main Indian exports products to Iran, he urged removing obstacles to reinforce economic relations. He went on to say that Iran's saffron and the organic materials are also being exported to India.

India’s Shipping Ministry officially announced in a statement on Monday that the country has taken over the operations of strategic Chabahar Port in Sistan-e Baluchestan Province of Iran's Southeastern coast, during the Trilateral Agreement meeting in the port on December 24.

The heads of Indian, Iranian and Afghanistan delegation jointly inaugurated the office of the Indian SPV - India Ports Global Chabahar Free Zone (IPGCFZ) at Chabahar. 

"The physical take-over of the terminal area, cargo handling equipment and Office building was completed by December 29, 2018," the statement said. 

"This step marks the beginning of a long journey. India has written a history with its engagement in Chabahar and is now leading the regional cooperation and joint efforts to support land locked Afghanistan. This is the first time India will be operating a port outside its territories," the Indian government's statement said. 

India started interacting with Iran on Chabahar Port around 2003 but a major push was received in the second half of 2014, resulting in the signing of an MoU between the two countries.

The statement added that the challenges facing the contract between Iran and India were resolved through a formal short term contract between the two sides which was signed on May 6, 2018 during the visit of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to New Delhi. 

EA