India takes over port operation in Chabahar

NEW DELHI: India on Monday formally took over operations at Chabahar port in Iran, giving a major boost to the country’s efforts to support war-torn Afghanistan, people familiar with developments said.

New Delhi’s efforts to develop the port, which allows India to ship supplies to Afghanistan while bypassing Pakistan, received a fillip recently when the US exempted Chabahar from Iran-related sanctions in November. Iran formally handed over the port to India during a first meeting of the follow-up committee for the implementation of the Chabahar Agreement between Iran, Afghanistan, and India in the port city Tehran. The Indian side was led by joint secretary (Pakistan-afghanistan-iran) Deepak Mittal of the external affairs ministry, while the Iranian team was led by Mohammad Ali Hassanzadeh, the deputy head of the Ports and Maritime Organisation, the people said.

“This is a major step forward in India’s efforts to support Afghanistan and also for regional cooperation,” an official in New Delhi said.

Behrouz Aqaei, director general of Sistan-baluchestan Ports and Maritime Organisation, was quoted by Irna news agency as saying that India Ports Global Limited has “officially started to run Shahid Beheshti port in Chabahar” including loading and unloading operations, procurement and marketing. The meeting discussed customs tariffs and promoting customs transactions and rail transit, Aqaei said.