In a long awaited moment of strategic importance, The first phase of Chabahar port will be inaugurated today. Chabahar port in Iran will be unvieled by country’s President Hassan Rouhani. The port will enable India to establish trade routes with Central Asian Republics, Parts of Russia and Afghanistan while completely bypassing Pakistan. The port has been developed with Indian assitence of about $500 million, a trilateral Agreement on building a Transit route from the port to Afghanistan has also been signed by India, Afghanistan and Iran.
Earlier External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj yesterday made a previously unscheduled stopover at Tehran and held a meeting with her Iranian counterpart Javed Zarif. In the backdrop of India’s historic revelry with Pakistan and the recent developments in Middle East, India-Iranian relations have assumed a new significance. While there is no doubt that India needs Iran both for its energy security as well as for its influence in Afghanistan, things are now complicated.
Reinforcing our traditionally close and civilizational linkages, EAM @SushmaSwaraj had a luncheon meeting with the Foreign Minister of Iran Dr. Javad Zarif in #Tehran. Both sides discussed issues of mutual interest. pic.twitter.com/8oVsagjrBE
— Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) December 2, 2017
India boasts really nice relationship with Israel and is in good books of President Trump both of which see Iran as their mortal enemy. With its victories in Middle Eastern battlegrounds of Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, Iran is looking itself as an important player in world politics. Its co-operation with Russia (and to a lesser extant with Turkey) also gives a lot of reason for Indian policy makers to start spending time in Tehran.
Earlier India had sent a shipment of Wheat as a gift to Tehran to commemorate the opening of port and the long term friendship the two nations enjoy
