India, Iran and Afghanistan sign historic three-way transit accord

NEW DELHI: India, Iran and Afghanistan signed trilateral pact on Monday for the strategically located Chabahar Port that would give New Delhi much-needed access to Kabul, Central Asia and beyond in absence of transit rights through Pakistan.

“The agenda for economic engagement is a clear priority for us. We stand together in unity of our purpose,” Modi said at the trilateral summit of Iran, India and Afghanistan held in Tehran, with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani also flying down in a show of solidarity.
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“Today, we are witnessing a creation of history,” the Indian PM said as he pitched to carve out “new routes of peace and prosperity” for the three countries. Modi said Afghanistan would get an “assured, effective and a friendly route to trade with the rest of the world”..

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“The Chabahar agreement will expand trade, attract investment, build infrastructure and create jobs for our youth…It is a place to realise the importance of curbing radicalism, removing the shadows of terror and spreading the sweetness of familiarity between our people,” the PM said.

Earlier in the day, following the Indo-Iran bilateral summit in Tehran, the two sides signed 12 pacts, including two agreements for India’s participation in the expansion and operation of the Chabahar Port. Modi said the bilateral agreement to develop Chabahar, in southern Iran, and the “availability of about $500 million from India for this purpose is an important milestone” in relations between the two countries.

The two countries also signed a number of agreements in technological, petrochemical, cultural and railways sectors as Modi and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani held consultations on defence partnership and combating threats of terrorism, radicalism, drug trafficking and cyber crime. The two sides agreed to enhance interaction between defence and security institutions on regional and maritime security, including Afghanistan.