MONITORING (SW) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of India has announced that its delegation, in meetings with officials of the Islamic Emirate in Kabul, discussed not only providing humanitarian aid to Afghanistan but also how Afghanistan can utilize the Chabahar Port of Iran.
Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesperson for the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a press conference that the Indian delegation, led by J.P. Singh, India’s special envoy for Afghanistan, discussed with officials of the Islamic Emirate during last week’s meetings how Afghanistan can use the Chabahar Port to strengthen economic ties between Afghanistan and India.
“J.P. Singh met with the Acting Minister of Defense, as well as Hamid Karzai, the former President of Afghanistan, and other officials of the country to discuss how Afghan traders can utilize the Chabahar Port for imports and exports,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate, while pointing out that Afghanistan is already using the Chabahar Port for trade, states that it will use every available route and facility to grow Afghanistan’s trade sector.
Akhundzada Abdulsalam Jawad, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, said, “Currently, trade with India and some other countries, especially Arab countries, is ongoing through the Chabahar Port. We want our trade to flow through multiple routes, and no challenges should arise against it.”
The discussion on Afghanistan’s use of the Chabahar Port comes at a time when challenges in this area have not yet been overcome.
Kham Jan Alokozai, a member of the Board of Directors of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment, says that if issues such as financial transactions, lack of necessary infrastructure, and poor transport routes in Chabahar are addressed, the port could be a good route for Afghanistan’s trade.
“There are some problems with Afghanistan’s use of this port. This port does not have an international code, and there are restrictions in this regard, making money transfers difficult. Secondly, the port’s capacity is not good, and a system needs to be built here,” he shared.
Afghanistan has been striving for years to increase its commercial use of the Chabahar Port, but these efforts have not yet yielded significant results.
