Opening of Afghanistan-Iran-India trade corridor marked

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Trilateral transit cooperation between Afghanistan, Iran and India leads to the prosperity of the region as a whole.

The Afghanistan-Iran-India trade corridor was opened at the official ceremony on February 24.

Afghanistan will export goods to India through the southeastern port of Chabahar in Iran.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, as well as Iranian Ambassador to Kabul Mohammad Reza Bahrami and Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan Vinaj Kumar, attended the event.

Reportedly, Afghanistan’s first 570-ton export cargo includes 200 tons of grain and 370 tons of talc.

At the ceremony, Ghani expressed appreciation for the joint efforts of Iran and India, which led to the creation of this important trade corridor in the region.

“The port of Chabahar is the result of healthy cooperation between India, Iran and Afghanistan. This will provide improved communication and economic growth for these countries,” he said.

In turn, the Iranian Ambassador noted that the infrastructure in the port of Chabahar has been significantly upgraded over the past few years, and the next phases of the port will be open in the coming years.

India signed a trilateral connectivity deal in May 2016 with Iran and Afghanistan that allows it to bypass Pakistan and reach Europe and Central Asia. The hub of this connectivity agreement is the Chabahar Port, whose management was transferred to India for 18 months.

In 2016, Iran, India and Afghanistan decided to jointly create a trade route for landlocked Central Asian countries.

India allocated up to $ 500 million to develop the Iranian port of Chabahar, as well as the roads and railway lines associated with it.

The commercial port of Chabahar is used to export Afghan goods, in particular, perishable agricultural products, to India and the countries of Central Asia. 

Chabahar port is an alternative to the Pakistani trade and transit route, which the Afghan government is actively using.

It aims to create a reliable transport corridor for the smooth transport and transit of goods and services through Chabahar Port between Afghanistan, India and Iran.