E-Paper
S Jaishankar, Iran President talk Chabahar port, regional issues
Rouhani referred to brotherly relations between the two countries and said they should bolster these ties in the face of mounting pressure from the US and its unilateral sanctions.
India should accelerate work on a key railway line linking Iran’s Chabahar port to Zahedan on the border with Afghanistan to boost regional trade, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday.
Rouhani made the remarks during a meeting with external affairs minister S Jaishankar in Tehran, according to state-run Irna news agency. Rouhani referred to brotherly relations between the two countries and said they should bolster these ties in the face of mounting pressure from the US and its unilateral sanctions.
India is developing a transit-transport corridor based around Chabahar port in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchistan province to access markets in Afghanistan and Central Asia while bypassing Pakistan. However, work on the Chabahar-Zahedan railway link has been hit by sanctions slapped on Iran by the US.
Rouhani referred to bilateral cooperation for Chabahar port and called for “accelerating Chabahar-Zahedan railway (line) that will benefit regional trade relations”, Irna reported. The news agency quoted Jaishankar as saying the boosting of banking ties “could benefit economic cooperation while speeding up implementation of the joint projects in Iran”.
After co-chairing the India-Iran Joint Commission Meeting with foreign minister Javad Zarif on Sunday, Jaishankar tweeted the two sides had agreed “on accelerating our Chabahar project”. In a separate tweet, Jaishankar said the two countries “will work together closely on their shared interests”.
Iran was among the top three suppliers of crude oil to India before the US ended a six-month waiver in June and threatened secondary sanctions. India used to pay for the oil in rupees, which Iran used to buy Indian goods.
The Joint Commission Meeting reviewed bilateral cooperation, including connectivity projects and trade and commerce. The two sides expressed satisfaction at progress in operationalising Shahid Beheshti terminal at Chabahar port and “recognised that it has a potential to act as a gateway between the Indian subcontinent, Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia and Europe”, the external affairs ministry said in a statement.
Besides using the port for exports from Afghanistan, the two sides discussed ways to promote it for enhancing regional connectivity. India and Iran also agreed to finalise a preferential trade agreement and a bilateral investment treaty. Jaishankar also met Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and minister for roads Mohammad Eslami.
