Iranian President Hassan Rouhani today inaugurated the first phase of Chabahar port on the Gulf of Oman, which will open up a new strategic transit route among Iran, India and Afghanistan, bypassing Pakistan. 

COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

Representatives from India, Afghanistan and several other countries of the region were present during the inauguration of the port in Iran's southeastern Sistan- Baluchestan Province. 

The first phase of the Chabahar port project, known as the Shahid Beheshti port, will bring the capacity of the port to 8.5 million tonnes of cargo annually, from the previous 2.5 million tonnes.

The port has been built by Iran in cooperation with India and is being seen as a rival to Gwadar Port, some 80 kilometres away across the border in Pakistan, which Islamabad is building with the help from China.

Rouhani, however, downplayed the rivalry and said the port will bring "more engagement and unity" among regional countries.

"We should go after positive competition," he said in his inauguration speech. "We welcome other ports in the region, we welcome Gwadar's development."

Iran also plans to link the port to the country's railroad network to facilitate transit of goods to neighbouring landlocked Central Asian countries, as well as open a route to eastern and northern Europe through Russia, he said. 

Chabahar also has an international airport and Iran's Navy and Air Force have bases in the city, adding to the ports value. 

The Chabahar port is important to India as it will bolster a trade route for land-locked Central Asian countries that would bypass rival Pakistan. India has committed $500 million to build the port to bypass Pakistan.

Ahead of the inauguration, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Iranian counterpart Javed Zarif held a meeting on Saturday in Tehran and discussed about the Chabahar port project among other issues. 

Iranian Foreign Ministry said Zarif referred to the Shahid Beheshti Port and said it reinforces Iran-India mutual and regional cooperation. 

"It also shows the importance of the port in the development of the region and the routes that connect Central Asian states to other countries in the world through the Sea of Oman and the Indian Ocean," he said, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

Swaraj made a stopover at Tehran on her return from Russian city of Sochi where she had attended the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). 

The port is likely to ramp up trade among India, Afghanistan and Iran in the wake of Pakistan denying transit access to New Delhi for trade with the two countries

Over a month ago, India had sent its first consignment of wheat to Afghanistan by sea through the Chabahar port, marking opening of the new strategic transit route.

India plans to export 130,000 tons of wheat to Afghanistan.