NEW DELHI, Aug 25:

A trilateral meeting among India, Iran andAfghanistan will be held tomorrow ahead of NAM summit in Tehran to discuss key issues, including, Chabahar port, which would boost  trade and commerce opportunity for India in Afghanistan and  Central Asia.

Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai, briefing media about Prime Minister’s coming visit to Iran for NAM summit, told reporters that the meeting would look into the report by the Indian Ports Association (IPA) on what kind of commerce was possible through the port.

The development of such a port is significant for Iran as it  is hit by sanctions of the US and West for alleged nuclear weapons programme.

“We are studying the report… The idea is to take forward what we need to do with Chabahar. What is our common interest…,” Mr Mathai said.

The Foreign Secretary said the trilateral meeting was likely to set up an expert’s group to study the IPA report and other issues relating to the development of the port.

Chabahar is situated on the east coast of Iran and has been officially designated as a Free Trade and Industrial Zone by Iran’s government. This status has increased the city’s importance significantly in international trade.

This port is the closest and best access point to the Indian Ocean and would provide India a trade connectivity to Afghanisatn and Central Asia bypassing Pakistan.

(UNI)

Follow our WhatsApp channel