BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 13. The development of Chabahar port in Sistan and Baluchestan province, located in the southeast of Iran, will provide an opportunity to access the markets of Afghanistan, Central Asian countries, Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and even Russia by rail and road, Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mehrdad Bazrpash said, Trend reports.
He made the remark during the event organized in Tehran in connection with the signing of an agreement on the development of the Chabahar Port between Iran and India.
According to Bazrpash, the Iranian state considers the development of transit through the country as one of its top priorities.
"The Iranian side is content with the agreement between India and Iran regarding the development of the Chabahar port that was signed. Iran holds India in the highest regard as one of the world's greatest economies and has complete faith in the country. The aforementioned accord shall mark the inception of the commerce relations between India and Iran," he said.
Chabahar port is located in the north of the Gulf of Oman, in the Strait of Hormuz. This port is considered India's main transit port with Central Asia and Afghanistan. India intends to use this port as part of the North-South International Corridor.
To note, Iran's Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mehrdad Bazrpash and India's Minister of Ports, Maritime Affairs, and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal will sign an agreement to provide Chabahar Port with equipment and port infrastructure.
Under the contract, India's IPGL will equip Chabahar Port with equipment.
The agreement stipulates that the Indian side will spend $120 million on the supply of equipment to the Chabahar port and $250 million on the construction of the port infrastructure.
The intergovernmental agreement signed between Russia, Iran, and India on September 12, 2000, laid the foundation for the North-South transport corridor. In general, several countries have ratified the mentioned agreement (Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Belarus, Republic of Bulgaria, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kyrgyzstan, Sultanate of Oman, Russian Federation, Republic of Tajikistan, Republic of Türkiye, Ukraine). The purpose of the corridor is to reduce the delivery time of cargo traveling from India to Russia, as well as to Northern and Western Europe (the delivery time on the current route is more than 6 weeks, it is expected to be 3 weeks via the North-South).
The North-South Corridor has three directions in Iran. The eastern direction is Turkmenistan and Central Asian countries, the middle direction is Russia and other countries across the Caspian Sea, and the western direction is Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, and Eastern European countries.
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