New Delhi: India has proposed the inclusion of Chabahar port in the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC) route, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday, and expressed hope that member states involved with the INSTC will agree on expanding membership of this project.
In his address on ‘Chabahar Day’ at the Maritime India Summit 2021, Jaishankar said the shift in the fulcrum of global economic growth towards Asia is creating unprecedented opportunities for connectivity in the region.
He asserted that the marking of Chabahar Day by India reflects its strong commitment to enhancing regional connectivity.
Jaishankar said India has also proposed the inclusion of Chabahar in the INSTC route.
The INSTC is an important trade corridor project, wherein India is partnering with 12 countries to establish an economic corridor, he said.
The International North South Transport Corridor is a 7,200-km-long multi-mode transport project for moving freight among India, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.
“We also welcome the interest of Uzbekistan and Afghanistan to join the multilateral corridor project. Establishing an eastern corridor through Afghanistan would maximize its potential,” he said.
“I am hopeful that during the INSTC Coordination Council meeting, member states would agree to the expansion of the INSTC route to include the Chabahar Port and also agree on expanding the membership of this project,” he said.
Jaishankar also said that as the world goes through a fundamental re-balancing, correcting many distortions of the past, it is only natural that connectivity should be central to that exercise.
—PTI

Press Trust of India