New Delhi (NVI): The first Trilateral Working Group Meeting between India, Iran and Uzbekistan on the joint use of Chabahar Port was held virtually today, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
The meeting comes amid reports that US-President elect Joe Biden will engage Iran on the nuclear issue. The virtual meeting was jointly chaired by deputy ministers of Iran, Uzbekistan and a Secretary from India.
Secretary (Shipping) Sanjeev Ranjan represented the Indian side while D Dehkanov was present from Uzbekistan and Shahram Adamnejad from Iran side.
During the meeting, the participants discussed joint use of Chabahar Port for trade and transit purposes and enhanced regional connectivity, the MEA said in a statement. All sides also noted the significant role played by Chabahar port for the region to deliver humanitarian assistance during the COVID pandemic, it said.
Apart from that, all sides also welcomed India’s proposal to hold “Chabahar Day” on the sidelines of the International Maritime Summit scheduled to be hosted by India in January 2021.
The meeting was held as a follow up of decisions taken during the virtual summit held between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on December 11.
The Chabahar port is being developed by India, Iran and Afghanistan to boost trade ties among the three countries in the wake of Pakistan denying transit access to New Delhi.
The port is also close to Pakistan’s Gwadar Port, which is being developed by China as part of its China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Notably, the CPEC links China to the Indian Ocean through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
-ARK
