On 12-13 April 2023, the first meeting of the joint Working Group on Chabahar Port at the level of senior officials of Central Asia and India was held in Mumbai, India. The event was organized under the multilateral cooperation in the India+Central Asia format, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan said.
The meeting was attended by the Deputy Foreign Ministers of India and Iran, representatives of the transport sector and ambassadors of Central Asian countries, the representative of the UN Food Program in Afghanistan and the Consul General of Afghanistan in Mumbai.
At the invitation of the Embassy of India in Turkmenistan, the Turkmen Logistics Association and its members took part in the meeting online.
During the meeting, the Ambassador of Turkmenistan presented information about Turkmenistan’s activities and projects in the field of transport. The significance of conferences and other events held on Turkmenistan’s initiative in the transportation sector, as well as UN General Assembly resolutions enacted on their outcomes, was also emphasized.
The speakers at the meeting noted the possibilities of the Chabahar port, which is an important link in the North-South transport corridor and the Ashgabat Agreement; the port’s special importance for the development of trade relations between India and Central Asian countries, as well as for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.
Following the meeting, a joint declaration was adopted.
Full text of the Joint Statement is available here: https://www.mea.gov.in/bilateral-documents.htm?dtl/36488/Joint_Statement_of_the_First_Meeting_of_the_IndiaCentral_Asia_Joint_Working_Group_JWG_on_Chabahar
According to the statement, the participants of the meeting highly appreciated the role of the Shahid Beheshti terminal in the port of Chabahar in facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Afghan people. Since 2018, India has used the port to send a total of 2.5 million tons of wheat and two thousand tons of pulses to Afghanistan.
It was also noted that the further development of regional connectivity is essential for enhancing trade and commerce between India and Central Asian countries in the context of their land-locked nature and lack of overland connectivity with India.
In addition, a consensus was reached at the meeting that connectivity requires the active participation of the private sector. In order to facilitate large-scale private investments in sustainable connectivity, the sides expressed their commitment to implement relevant international standards, to ensure a level playing field for companies and to ensure reciprocal access to markets.
At the suggestion of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, the next meeting of the India-Central Asia Joint Working Group on joint use of Chabahar Port will be held in Iran with the participation of the private sector. ///nCa, 17 April 2023