Plain sailing for India as Iran opens first phase of the Chabahar port to make way for new trading route
- The Chabahar Port is located in the strategically significant southeastern province of Sistan-Balochistan in Iran
- It gives India a way to bypass Pakistan and connect with West Asia and reach Central Asia via Iran
- Chabahar could be made Iran’s closest sea link to Indian Ocean, a rival to Gwadar Port
- See more news from India at www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome
The first phase of the Chabahar port on the Gulf of Oman was inaugurated on Sunday by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, opening a new strategic route connecting Iran, India and Afghanistan bypassing Pakistan, and reflecting growing convergence of interests among the three countries.
The port in the Sistan-Balochistan province on the energy-rich nation’s southern coast is easily accessible from India’s western coast and is increasingly seen as a counter to Pakistan’s Gwadar Port, which is being developed with Chinese investment and is located at distance of around 80km from Chabahar.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Minister of State for Shipping, Pon Radhakrishnan represented India at the inauguration ceremony of the Phase 1 of the Shahid Beheshti Port at Chabahar – which was also attended by ambassadors and senior officials.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani inaugurated the strategic Chabahar Port on the Gulf of Oman
An India-Iran-Afghanistan ministerial-level trilateral meeting on Chabahar also took place on Sunday on the sidelines of the event where the three countries resolved to work towards integrated development of connectivity infrastructure including ports, road and rail networks to open up greater opportunities for regional market access and integration of their economies.
The Chabahar port is being considered a gateway to golden opportunities for trade by India, Iran and Afghanistan with central Asian countries besides ramping up trade among the three countries in the wake of Pakistan denying transit access to New Delhi.
‘The routes of the region should be connected on land, sea and air,’ Rouhani said at the inauguration ceremony.
President Hassan Rouhani: the new port will mean speedier and cheaper trade with Iran’s neighbours
India has been closely working with Afghanistan and Iran to create alternative, reliable access routes for trade.
Under the agreement signed between India and Iran in May last year, India is to equip and operate two berths in Chabahar Port Phase-I with capital investment of USD 85.21 million (Rs 549.76 crore) and annual revenue expenditure of USD 22.95 million (Rs 148 crore) on a 10-year lease.
The MEA, in a statement, said: ‘Radhakrishnan also represented India in the second India-Iran-Afghanistan ministerial- level trilateral meeting on Chabahar port in Chabahar today. Iran was represented by its Transport Minister Abbas Akhoundi and Afghanistan by its Trade and Commerce Minister Humayoon Rasaw.’
A ship bedecked with foreign flags docked at Chabahar in southeast Iran for the port’s inauguration on December 3, 2017
In the meeting, the three countries assessed the progress in the development of the port and reiterated their commitment to complete and operationalise it at the earliest, which they felt would provide alternative access to landlocked Afghanistan to regional and global markets.
A joint statement issued after the meeting said the ministers also deliberated on trilateral pact relating to the mega connectivity project and expressed satisfaction on the completion of the ratification procedures by Afghanistan and India.
They welcomed the steps taken by Iran to complete the ratification process.
In May 2016, India, Iran and Afghanistan had inked a pact which entailed establishment of Transit and Transport Corridor among the three countries using Chabahar Port as one of the regional hubs for sea transportation in Iran, besides multi-modal transport of goods and passengers across the three nations.
The ministers discussed the next steps for full implementation of the agreement and moving towards its operationalisation.
Towards this endeavour, it was decided to finalise protocols related to transport and transit, ports, customs procedures and consular affairs.