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India, Iran sign Chabahar port deal
At the ceremonial signing of trilateral Transport and Transit agreement between India, Afghanistan and Iran Modi said, “It will open new routes for India, Iran and Afghanistan to connect among themselves. India and Iran also share a crucial stake in peace, stability and prosperity of the region.” The pact to develop Chabahar Port for which India will provide USD 500 million is a key milestone.
Chabahar is a port in south-east Iran that will enable India to bypass Pakistan and open up a route to land-locked Afghanistan with which New Delhi has close security ties and economic interests. From Chabahar, the existing Iranian road network can link up to Zaranj in Afghanistan, about 883 kms from the port. The Zaranj-Delaram road constructed by India in 2009 can give access to Afghanistan’s Garland Highway, setting up road access to four major cities in Afghanistan — Herat, Kandahar, Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif. Besides signing a deal on development of Chabahar port, India is looking at doubling oil imports from Iran which a few years back was its second-biggest oil supplier, as well as getting rights to develop a giant gas field. Jay Novacek Authentic Jersey
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