Central Asian nations eye Iran’s Chabahar port for trade with India

New Delhi: At the 3rd meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue under the chairmanship of the External Affairs Minister of India here today,  the participating ministers of foreign affairs of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan welcomed the proposal to include Chabahar Port within the framework of INSTC.

On Afghanistan, the ministers took note of the outcome document of the Delhi Regional Security Dialogue of November 10, 2021. They said in a joint statement that there is a broad ‘regional consensus’ on the issues related to Afghanistan, which includes formation of a truly representative and inclusive government, combating terrorism and drug trafficking, central role of the UN, providing immediate humanitarian assistance for the Afghan people and preserving the rights of women, children and other national ethnic groups. 

India welcomed the interest of Central Asian countries to utilize the services of Shahid Beheshti Terminal at Chabahar Port for facilitating their trade with India and beyond. The sides agreed to continue engagement for further developing the transit and transport potential of their countries, improving the logistics network of the region and promoting joint initiatives to create regional and international transport corridors. The Sides agreed to explore possibilities to establish joint working group(s), including participation of private sector, to address issues of free movements of goods and services between India and Central Asian countries. 

The sides expressed their desire to deepen cooperation between India and the Central Asian countries in the health-care sector, including medical tourism. Increasing tourist arrivals, including in the segments of pilgrimage and historical and cultural tourism, creating tourism trails across the region, encouraging investment in tourism infrastructure were emphasized. The Ministers, recalling the age-old cultural and civilizational links between India and the Central Asian countries, stressed on the importance of promoting bilateral cooperation in cultural, educational and humanitarian spheres to further invigorate people-to-people contacts. Foreign Ministers of the Central Asian countries appreciated the role played by the Indian Cultural Centres in strengthening India-Central Asia cultural relations. 

The ministers stressed that connectivity initiatives should be based on the principles of transparency, broad participation, local priorities, financial sustainability and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. They expressed interest in cooperation on issues related to the development and strengthening of regional connectivity in Central and South Asia and in this regard, they noted the outcomes of the High-Level International Conference “Central and South Asia: Regional Connectivity; Challenges and Opportunities”, held on 15-16 July 2021 in Tashkent as well as the second India-Uzbekistan-Iran trilateral meeting on the joint use of Chabahar Port in December 2021.

The participants emphasized on optimum usage of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) as well as Ashgabat Agreement on International Transport and Transit Corridor to enhance connectivity between India and the Central Asian countries.