The first meeting of the India-Central Asia Joint Working Group on Chabahar is underway in Mumbai. The meeting which began on Wednesday, was due to the mutual interest outcomes of the first India Central Asia summit held in January last year.
India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan are the participants of the meeting. Iran and the United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) are the special invitees.
The key issue which has been brought up in the meeting is of the development of the Shahid Behesti Terminal (SBT) and the usage of the Chabahar port by the Central Asian countries.
Moreover, the Chabahar port has been proved as a commercial transit hub for the region. India is participating in the development of the first phase of the Shahid Behesti Terminal, Chabahar Port, in association with Iran.
Also, India is committed to give a total grant assistance of $85 million and a credit facility of $150 million for the development of the SBT. And as to provide infrastructure development of the SBT, India has supplied six mobile harbour cranes (two 140 tonnes and four 100 tonnes capacity) and other equipment worth $25 million.
The Chabahar port has given much needed sea access to the landlocked countries of the region and also has become a more economical and stable route for landlocked countries of the region to reach India and the global market. Till date, a total of 2.5 million tonnes of wheat and 2,000 tonnes of pulses have been trans-shipped from India to Afghanistan through the Chabahar port.
Furthermore, during the Covid – 19 pandemic, the port has also been facilitated with the supply of humanitarian assistance.
