First phase of Chabahar port to be inaugurated by Iranian President today
New Delhi, Dec 3- The first phase of Chabahar port will be inaugurated which will open up a new strategic transit route among Iran, India and Afghanistan, bypassing Pakistan.
The port, located in Iran’s southeastern Sistan- Baluchestan Province, is scheduled to be inaugurated by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in presence of representatives from India, Afghanistan and several other countries of the region.
The first phase of the Chabahar port project is known as the Shahid Beheshti port.
Ahead of the inauguration, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Iranian counterpart Javed Zarif held a meeting yesterday 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.
The Iranian president's office said the Shahid Beheshti harbour will be opened today. PTI
