Alwaght- Iran, India, and Uzbekistan held their first virtual meeting on the joint use of the Iranian Chabahar port.
The meeting was held at the level of deputy foreign ministers of the three countries, according to the website of the Indian foreign ministry.
The ministry also said that the country welcomes Uzbekistan's interests in the use of Chabahar as a transit port. This will provide the region’s business people with special economic opportunities, the ministry added. In addition to Uzbekistan, other Central Asian states have shown interest to join the project. New Delhi is seeking partnership with the regional states in this port.
Chabahar, India’s gate to enter regional rivalry and Central Asia
This is not the first time India tests its chance to establish close relations and cooperation with the Central Asian states via the Iranian strategic port. Earlier, it had pursued its trade relations with Afghanistan through Chabahar.
Last year, Indian businessmen exported part of sugar and wheat to Afghanistan through Chabahar port.
Chabahar, Iran’s only ocean port, is a key position in the vicinity of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, occupying a special place in North-South Corridor. Over the past few years, it became a vital transit point for the Indian goods exported to Afghanistan and other Central Asian states. The Indian government allocated $14 million for expansion of the port in its 2021 budget, double the sum it put aside the year before.
The budget increase for the port bears a sign to India's will to develop the port and also New Delhi’s resolve to turn it into a transit hub.
Regional affairs experts hold that Chabahar port is of significance for India in terms of trade exchanges and the most important trait is its strategic position. With its disputes continuing with its neighbors China and Pakistan, India has decided to open a new access route to Central Asian countries. The port makes it easier for India to access Afghanistan via sea. It is a rival to Gwadar port in Pakistan and the Indians think that it can somehow help establish marine balance with Pakistan in the region. Gwadar port, 400 kilometers through land and 100 kilometers through sea away from Chabahar port, was founded by Pakistan and China. Having in mind that the two nuclear powers are major rivals to India, the location of Gwadar port in the north of Sea of Oman and close to Gujarat and Mumbai in western India has created new security and political concerns for New Delhi.
Strategically and in the eyes of the Indian leaders, Chabahar port provides the balancing sinker to regulate the security and political ties with the two nuclear rivals in south Asia. The Indian access to Chabahar not only allows it to neutralize the Pakistani military presence in the Sea of Oman and north of the Indian Ocean and break the strategic encirclement imposed by China and Pakistan but also it facilitates circumvention of Pakistan territories to gain a more secure access route to Afghanistan through Iran. India is part of the North-South Corridor and this route offers it access to the markets of such countries as Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, energy resources of Turkey, and finally Northern Europe.
Analysts say that the emerging power India by designing a long-term strategy to develop its home markets, gain access to Afghanistan and Central Asia, compete with China and Pakistan wants, via investing in Chabahar port, looks forward to add to its political and economic influence in the region and set up a new transit route.
Uzbekistan exit from the land lock
At the same time, it should be taken into account that Chabahar port is the shortest and easiest way for Uzbekistan's access to the high seas. There are a couple of options for the country’s access to the high seas:
- The route to the Black Sea by moving 4,900 kilometers and passing through the two countries of Kazakhstan and Russia and bypassing the Caspian Sea or using the two Caspian Sea ports.
- The route to the Indian Ocean by passing the two countries of Pakistan and Afghanistan and accessing Gwadar port by moving 2,700 kilometers of land road, which is long, insecure, and the hardest way.
- The access to Chabahar port is feasible for Uzbekistan by passing Afghanistan or Turkmenistan. It is the most secure option because it passes through Iran, where there is an appropriate transportation infrastructure. The access distance to Chabahar for Uzbekistan is 2,900 kilometers, which means shorter and faster compared to other routes. Another advantage is Iran’s proper transportation infrastructure.
Therefore, Chabahar port is the most befitting choice for Uzbekistan to access the high seas and would be decisive in the country’s exit from geographical restriction caused by land lock.
