Sarbananda Sonowal, Indian Minister of ports, shipping & waterways and Ayush, on Saturday visited the Shahid Beheshti terminal at Chabahar port in Iran to assess the progress of Chabahar port.
The union minister was accompanied by India’s Ambassador to Iran, Gaddam Dharmendra. The Iranian delegation at the launch was led by Dr. Ali Akbar Safaee, Deputy Minister and Managing Director of the Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran.
Sarbananda Sonowal handed over six mobile harbor cranes to the Indian Ports Global Chabahar Free Trade Zone (IPGCFTZ) at the port, according to the government’s press release.
Additionally, both delegations discussed the possibilities of trade and commerce and unlocking trade potential between Central Asian countries with South Asia, ASEAN, and even countries in the Far East like Japan and Korea, according to the official.
On that note, the Union Minister said: “Our shared historical relationship has been the seedbed of the Indo-Iranian relationship. The sustained engagement and all-round efforts in the proceeding years provide an ideal platform for further expansion and deepening of the bilateral relationship. India remains fully committed to developing the Chabahar port to realize the vision set during Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji’s visit to Iran in 2016.”
“The inauguration of the six mobile harbor cranes would act as a force multiplier for the operation of the Shahid Beheshti Port and further fuel impetus to the development of the Chabahar port. The strategic role of the Chabahar port to unlock trade potential in the regional trade between Central Asia, South Asia and South East Asia is huge. We are continuously working towards making the International North-South Transport Corridor as the preferred route of trade between two regions,” he added.
The Significance of Chabahar Port
The port of Chabahar is located in south-eastern Iran, on the Gulf of Oman, at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz. The port is Iran’s only oceanic port and its only port with direct access to the Indian Ocean.
Therefore, it will smoothen the process of India’s growing connectivity with Central Asian countries. Studies suggest that the Central Asian countries are keen to reap the benefits of this emerging Indo-Pacific strategic corridor.
In addition to being of immense economic importance to India, the massive port has significant geopolitical significance as well. The port is located 76 nautical miles west of the Pakistani port of Gwadar, which is being developed by China.
Additionally, China’s recent activity in the Indian Ocean suggests that the port is ideal for securing the country’s strategic interests.