nion Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday visited Shahid Beheshti terminal at Chabahar port in Iran to review the progress in the development of the port, Trend reports citing Zee5.
In an effort to invigorate the potential of Chabahar port, the Union Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal also handed over Six mobile harbour cranes to Indian Ports Global Chabahar Free Trade Zone (IPGCFTZ) at the port, a government press release said.
Sonowal on Thursday embarked on an official visit to Iran and UAE to visit Chabahar Port and to participate in bilateral meetings with Iranian Ministers.
The Union Minister was accompanied by India’s Ambassador to Iran, Gaddam Dharmendra. Dr Ali Akbar Safaee, Deputy Minister and Managing Director of Ports and Maritime Organisation, Iran, led the Iranian delegation at the launch.
Sarbananda Sonowal and Dr Ali Akbar Safaee had a fruitful meeting on the development of maritime and port cooperation between Iran and India. Both the delegation discussed the possibilities of trade & unlock trade potential between Central Asian countries with South Asian, ASEAN and even Far East countries like Japan and Korea.
Sonowal reiterated the role Chabahar port can play in reducing distance, time and cost. It was decided to form a joint technical committee for the smooth functioning of the port. The meeting also addressed the future course of action toward development of the port.
Speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, said, “Our shared historical relationship has been the seedbed of Indo-Iranian bilateral relationship. The sustained engagement and all-round efforts in the preceeding years provide an ideal platform for further expansion and deepening of the bilateral relation. India remains fully committed to developing the Chabahar port to realise the vision set during Indian PM Shri Narendra Modi ji’s visit to Iran in 2016. The inauguration of the SIX mobile harbour cranes would act as a force multiplier for the operation of the Shahid Beheshti Port and further fuel impetus to the development of the Chabahar port. The strategic role of Chabahar port to unlock trade potential in the regional trade between Central Asia, South Asia & South East Asia is huge. We are continuously working towards making the International North-South Transport Corridor as the preferred route of trade between the two regions.”
Since India Ports Global Private Limited (IPGPL) assumed operations of Shahid Beheshti Port, it has handled over 4.8 million tons of bulk cargo. The trans-shipment of goods was from varied countries including Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Germany, Oman, Romania, Russia, Thailand, UAE, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
With close cooperation between India’s IGPL and Iranian stakeholders including Iran’s Port and Maritime Organisation, Iranian Customs Administration and the Chabahar Free Zone Authority, Shahid Beheshti Port Authority & other stakeholders, the Port is likely to act as a catalyst to unlock the huge trade potential in the region. The meeting was also attended by Mr Sepahi, Provincial Deputy Governor and the Governor of Chabahar City, Ebrahimi, Interim CEO of Chabahar Free Trade Zone Organisation among other senior officials from the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Government of India, the Indian Embassy and the officials from the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal is on a three days official tour to Iran and UAE where he is slated to visit Chabahar Port in Iran and Jebel Ali Port in UAE. The visit is aimed at strengthening the ties and maritime relationship between the two nations. The visit also intends to highlight the importance of Chabahar port as a gateway for Indian trade with Europe, Russia and CIS countries.
Chabahar Port is the Country’s first overseas port project. The development of the Chabahar Port Project is a prestigious project of national importance. The Minister in a statement said that due to the pandemic, there were fewer visits from India to Iran and vice-versa.
This Ministerial visit will strengthen ties and the maritime relationship between the two nations. This visit will also highlight the importance of Chabahar as a gateway for Indian trade with Europe, Russia and CIS countries.
“The Minister will take part in bilateral meetings with the Ministers of Road and Urban Development and Health and Medical Education of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the Ministry said.
During this visit, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) concerning the mutual recognition of seafarers’ certificates of competency in unlimited voyages between the Government of India and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran is also proposed to be signed.
The Minister will also meet the ambassadors of CIS countries based in Teheran. Sonowal will also visit Jebel Ali Port, UAE and meet dais during the visit. Round Table meetings with Heads of Shipping/Freight Companies in UAE will also be attended by him.
Earlier, the Ministry of Port, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) on July 31 observed ‘Chabahar Day’ in Mumbai to mark the Chabahar – Link to International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) – Connecting Central Asian Markets.
Sonwal in his address stated that India’s vision is to make Shahid Beheshti Port at Chabahar a transit hub and linking it to INSTC to reach out to Central Asian Countries, said the MoPSW press release. He said that India looks forward to businesses and logistics companies utilizing the incentives of the Shahid Beheshti Port and Chabahar Free Trade Zone.
The Union Minister further urged all the representatives and stakeholders to come forward with suggestions to reduce the transportation time and cost further to make a cheaper, shorter, faster and more reliable route from India to Iran and Central Asia, added the release.
The event was attended by Minister of State, MoPSW, Shripad Yesso Naik, Nurlan Zhalgasbayev, Ambassador-Republic of Kazakhstan, Asein Isaev, Ambassador- Kyrgyzstan, Lukmon Bobokalonzoda Ambassador Tajikistan, Shalar Geldynazarov Ambassador, Turkmenistan, Dilshod Akhatov, Ambassador- Uzbekistan, Jalil Eslami, Deputy of Port and economic affairs of PMO, Zakia Wardak, Consul General (CG), Afghanistan, Dr AM Alikhani Consul General of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Masoud Ostad Hossein, Advisor to the minister & head of the centre for international affairs of ministry of Road and Urban Development, Iran, Rajeev Jalota, Chairman, Indian Ports Association and Sunil Mukundan, MD, IPGL who graced the event through their presence along with other esteemed guests.
During the event, the delegates from the Central Asian countries highlighted how Chabahar link with INSTC can play a vital role in boosting EXIM trade in their regions and its potential to further boost development in the landlocked countries, said the release.
The Chabahar Port is a key pillar of India’s India-Pacific vision to connect Eurasia with the Indian Ocean Region. The port will also be part International North-South Transport Corridor network connecting India. INSTC (International North-South Transport Corridor) is India’s vision and initiative to reduce the time taken for EXIM shipments to reach Russia, Europe, and enter the central Asian markets.
The Chabahar Port located in Iran is the commercial transit centre for the region and especially Central Asia.