Focus on ‘effectively utilising’ Chabahar port as Afghan minister begins India visit

New Delhi/Kabul, Nov 19 (IANS) Afghan Industry and Commerce Minister Alhaj Nooruddin Azizi arrived in New Delhi Wednesday afternoon, kicking off the official visit of a high-ranking government delegation from Kabul with the aim of activating and effectively utilising the capacities of India-developed Chabahar Port in Iran and attracting and drawing more investments.

Welcoming the visiting minister, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that advancing bilateral trade and investment ties is the key focus of Azizi’s visit.

Just ahead of the visiting delegation’s arrival in India, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce stated that enhancing bilateral trade through the port will be a key agenda of discussions during Azizi’s visit.

“During this trip, the Afghan delegation, while visiting the Pragati Maidan International Exhibition, will meet with high-ranking officials of the Government of India, including the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Commerce besides traders, investors, and honourable members of the private sector of the two countries. The focus of these meetings is to expand economic cooperation, facilitate trade relations, create joint investment opportunities, and strengthen Afghanistan’s role in the region’s transit routes,” read a statement issued by the Afghan ministry.

“This trip is evaluated as an important step towards strengthening economic and commercial relations between the two countries, and it is expected that its results will play a significant role in improving communications, boosting trade, and developing transit routes,” it added while stressing the need to effectively utilising the capacities of Chabahar Port in Iran.

Kabul is keen on facilitating transit of goods through India-developed Chabahar port in Iran, especially after increasing border tensions with neighbouring Pakistan which has resulted in massive losses for traders on both sides of the Durand Line.

Earlier this month, the Afghan media reported that amidst the rising Afghanistan-Pakistan tensions, the ruling Taliban regime wants to explore Chabahar port’s vast potential and sees it as a new “opportunity”.

The Afghanistan-Pakistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Investment announced that due to the closure of border crossings for business by Pakistan, traders from both countries have so far suffered over $100 million in financial losses.

According to the Chamber, the ongoing situation has created a sense of uncertainty over the future of trade between the two countries, with both sides incurring significant daily losses in transit and commercial exchanges.

Afghan officials told Pajhwok media that Kabul wants to make use of the vast potential of Iran’s Chabahar port, which could help boost exports, facilitate transit and pave the way for the country to become a regional transit hub.

The Kabul Dry Fruit Exporters Union too stated that exports through Chabahar port are “currently running smoothly, with no problems in shipments to India”.

Director of the Office of the country’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) Mohammadullah Bakhtyar, while addressing a meeting on the port’s transit potential in Kabul, emphasised utilising Iran’s transit routes – particularly the Chabahar Free Economic Zone. He underlined the strategic importance, stating that it provided Afghanistan with access to open seas, reported Pajhwok.

Chabahar port offers Afghanistan access to the Persian Gulf and plays a vital role not only in reducing transport costs but also in increasing its trade with India, the Middle East, Central and South Asia, Africa, Europe, and America.

–IANS

/as