Iran, India promote new trade route through Armenia
Iran’s and India’s ambassadors in Yerevan on Tuesday stressed the importance of Armenia’s involvement in a new transnational transport corridor planned by their countries.
“We believe that the communication corridor from India to the Iranian port of Chabahar and on to Armenia and further north, the Black Sea, is a reliable route for transporting goods to the north and to Europe,” the Iranian envoy, Mehdi Sobhani, said during an international conference in Yerevan. “The development of this path will protect our countries against external harm.”
India has built and operates two terminals at Chabahar to bypass Pakistan in cargo traffic with Iran, Afghanistan, and central Asian countries, Azatutyun reports.
It has proposed the Gulf of Oman port’s inclusion in the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) project initiated by Russia, Iran, and India in 2000. The project calls for a 7,200-kilometer-long network of maritime and terrestrial routes stretching from Mumbai to Moscow.
The Armenian government suggested in 2021 that Indian companies use Chabahar for cargo shipments to not only Armenia but also neighboring Georgia, Russia, and even Europe.
Senior Armenian, Indian, and Iranian diplomats explored the possibility of creating such a trade route during first-ever trilateral talks held in Yerevan in April this year.
Speaking at the conference organized by the Armenian government, the Indian ambassador to Armenia, Nilakshi Saha Sinha, welcomed the South Caucasus nation’s interest in the INSTC.
“We are ready to work with Armenia to understand how the country can benefit from the opportunities of this corridor,” she said, adding that the Indian side will make it easier for Armenian firms to ship cargo to and from Chabahar. / MEHR