Indian envoy outlines significance of Chabahar project for New Delhi

Indian Ambassador to Iran Saurabh Kumar termed development project of the port of Chabahar in southeastern Iran as very important for India as it opens a gateway for New Delhi towards the Central Asian markets, AVA Diplomatic reports.

The meeting was held on Wednesday evening and was attended by Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development Abbas Akhundi.

The ambassador expressed satisfaction over the pace of cooperation between Tehran and New Delhi regarding the project.

‘The process of cooperation between Iran and India in Chabahar Port is very smooth and the project is progressing very well,’ said Ambassador Kumar.

Noting that the Iranian president inaugurated the port it in December 3, 2017, Kumar said, ‘We did a major wheat shipment from India to Afghanistan which is going through Chabahar, which shows the positive impact of the inauguration of the port on Indian trade routes.

‘Things are moving very well there and all the processes pertaining to the procurement of the machinery, by the Indian side for the Chabahar is pleasantly underway.’

He further noted, ‘We are looking for the Chabahar-Zahedan railway line and other infrastructure initiatives and we are hopeful we make progress there too.’

On the importance of Akhundi’s visit to India, the ambassador stressed that the visit to India is very important.

‘He is the minister who controls much of the infrastructure in transportation and railway projects so we really welcome his visit out here. The objective of his visit is to make further discussions related to investment and cooperation in other areas with Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport & Highways of India.’

On the future of cooperation between Iran and India, Ambassador Kumar said that he is ‘very positive that collaboration between the two nations will grow.’

Akhundi arrived in the Indian capital on Wednesday (Jan 10) for a three-day visit to promote transportation cooperation between the two countries.

He is accompanied by a delegation comprising officials from both the Iranian government and its private sector companies.