Zarif Urges India to Expedite Chabahar Development
NEW DELHI (Dispatches) -- Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad Zarif has said that India and Iran should work to expedite rail connectivity to Afghanistan and procurement for the development of Chabahar Port.
"Chabahar Port is essential for Afghanistan and Central Asia,” Zarif said. "There are several problems and we made several advances...One of them is that our parliament has recently approved the expansion of the free zone.”
Late in December, Indian media reported that the United States had given written assurances to India that it would help facilitate global banks funding the purchase of equipment worth $85 million to be established at Chabahar Port in Iran.
In November 2018, the U.S. granted a waiver from the sanctions it has imposed on Iran for activities related to the port.
But Zarif on Friday said that the problem in the project’s progress is that India has found difficulty procuring the required equipment for the port, despite exemption from sanctions.
"The other issue is connecting Chabahar to Afghanistan and to Central Asia through rail. We need to complete the Chabahar-Zahedan rail network. We have the infrastructure for that, but we need rails,” Zarif said.
He noted that Iran is discussing the matter with India.
Chabahar is located in the Sistan-Baluchistan Province on Iran’s southeastern coast outside the Persian Gulf and is of strategic importance for the development of regional maritime transit traffic to Afghanistan and Central Asia.
Zarif also said the Islamic Republic is ready to hold talks with Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries to promote regional security.
"We are ready for negotiations with Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf littoral states and we are ready to give proposals
regarding security in this region, particularly the Strait of Hormuz,” Zarif told a meeting in Mumbai sponsored by All India Association of Industries (AIAI).
Iran, he said, has presented proposals on ways to establish peace in the Strait of Hormuz.
Established in 1956 in Mumbai, the AIAI has over 1,500 members and through its affiliates it represents over 50,000 industries.
In an address to the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 25, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said as a steward of maritime security in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, Iran invites all countries that are affected by developments in the strategic region to join the country’s new regional peace initiative, dubbed Hormuz Peace Endeavor (HOPE).
He said the "coalition of hope” aims to promote peace, stability, progress and prosperity of littoral states and help achieve mutual understanding and establish peaceful and friendly relations among them.
Zarif said in October 2019 that he was ready to visit Saudi Arabia to help reduce tensions between Riyadh and Tehran if suitable conditions existed.
"If suitable conditions are provided, I would be ready to travel to Riyadh to settle differences” between the two countries, Zarif said while answering a question posed by Yemen’s Arabic-language Al-Masirah news agency.
"Tehran welcomes any initiative that aims to ease tensions in the region and will cooperate (with other parties) to end Yemen’s war,” he added.
"Chabahar Port is essential for Afghanistan and Central Asia,” Zarif said. "There are several problems and we made several advances...One of them is that our parliament has recently approved the expansion of the free zone.”
Late in December, Indian media reported that the United States had given written assurances to India that it would help facilitate global banks funding the purchase of equipment worth $85 million to be established at Chabahar Port in Iran.
In November 2018, the U.S. granted a waiver from the sanctions it has imposed on Iran for activities related to the port.
But Zarif on Friday said that the problem in the project’s progress is that India has found difficulty procuring the required equipment for the port, despite exemption from sanctions.
"The other issue is connecting Chabahar to Afghanistan and to Central Asia through rail. We need to complete the Chabahar-Zahedan rail network. We have the infrastructure for that, but we need rails,” Zarif said.
He noted that Iran is discussing the matter with India.
Chabahar is located in the Sistan-Baluchistan Province on Iran’s southeastern coast outside the Persian Gulf and is of strategic importance for the development of regional maritime transit traffic to Afghanistan and Central Asia.
Zarif also said the Islamic Republic is ready to hold talks with Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries to promote regional security.
"We are ready for negotiations with Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf littoral states and we are ready to give proposals
regarding security in this region, particularly the Strait of Hormuz,” Zarif told a meeting in Mumbai sponsored by All India Association of Industries (AIAI).
Iran, he said, has presented proposals on ways to establish peace in the Strait of Hormuz.
Established in 1956 in Mumbai, the AIAI has over 1,500 members and through its affiliates it represents over 50,000 industries.
In an address to the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 25, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said as a steward of maritime security in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, Iran invites all countries that are affected by developments in the strategic region to join the country’s new regional peace initiative, dubbed Hormuz Peace Endeavor (HOPE).
He said the "coalition of hope” aims to promote peace, stability, progress and prosperity of littoral states and help achieve mutual understanding and establish peaceful and friendly relations among them.
Zarif said in October 2019 that he was ready to visit Saudi Arabia to help reduce tensions between Riyadh and Tehran if suitable conditions existed.
"If suitable conditions are provided, I would be ready to travel to Riyadh to settle differences” between the two countries, Zarif said while answering a question posed by Yemen’s Arabic-language Al-Masirah news agency.
"Tehran welcomes any initiative that aims to ease tensions in the region and will cooperate (with other parties) to end Yemen’s war,” he added.