- Title: India to boost Iran port project, links to Afghanistan
- Date: 23rd May 2016
- Summary: TEHRAN, IRAN (MAY 23, 2016) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI - NO ACCESS BBC) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** DIGNITARIES FROM IRAN, INDIA AND AFGHANISTAN ARRIVING TO SIGN TRILATERAL TRANSPORT AND TRANSIT AGREEMENT INDIA'S TRANSPORT MINISTER, NITIN GADKARI, SIGNING THE AGREEMENT DIGNITARIES FROM IRAN, INDIA AND AFGHANISTAN SIGNING THE AGREEMENT INDIAN PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI, AFGHAN PRESIDENT ASHRAF GHANI AND IRANIAN PRESIDENT HASSAN ROUHANI WATCHING DIGNITARIES SHAKING HANDS AFTER SIGNING OF THE DEAL MODI, ROUHANI AND GHANI SEATED MODI GETTING UP AND GOING NEAR A MICROPHONE TO SPEAK (SOUNDBITE) (English) INDIAN PRIME MINISTER, NARENDRA MODI, SAYING: "Today, we all are witnessing creation of history, not just for the people of our three countries but for the entire region." MODI GOING TO TAKE HIS SEAT ON THE DAIS / SHAKING HANDS WITH ROUHANI AND GHANI ROUHANI ON THE DAIS (SOUNDBITE) (English) AFGHAN PRESIDENT, ASHRAF GHANI, SAYING: "I thank them because they believe that Afghanistan is going to be stable and they are wagering on our stability and not on our destruction." GHANI, MODI AND ROUHANI SEATED (SOUNDBITE) (Farsi) (OFFICIAL TRANSLATION) IRANIAN PRESIDENT, HASSAN ROUHANI, SAYING: "Today's agreement is not going to be against any other country. Our joint activities are going to be useful and beneficial to the whole region and will contribute positively to the peace and stability in this region." MODI, ROUHANI AND GHANI GETTING UP AND SHAKING HANDS
- Embargoed: 6th June 2016 17:20
- Keywords: Hassan Rouhani Ashraf Ghani Narendra Modi transport trade Iran India. Afghanistan
- Location: TEHRAN, IRAN
- City: TEHRAN, IRAN
- Country: Iran
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0014J15M4N
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (May 23) pledged up to $500 million to develop the southern Iran port of Chabahar, in a move to give his country trade access to Iran, Afghanistan and central Asia.
The route is currently all-but blocked by Pakistan, long at odds politically with India.
The deal, which runs in conjunction with the development of road and rail links through Iran to Afghanistan, also represented a strategic victory for India over China, which has been competing to develop the port.
Modi signed the development deal on the first visit by an Indian leader to Iran in 15 years. He was joined by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani.
The project means India will be able to tap into the Iranian and Afghan markets, and land-locked Afghanistan will also get an alternate to the port of Karachi in Pakistan.
Talks to develop the port have been underway for some years, but the nuclear deal that Iran signed with Western powers last summer, as well as the removal of some sanctions earlier this year, gave the project momentum.
Chabahar is about 100 km. from Pakistan's Gwadar seaport which China is developing as part of a $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
The Chinese project, coming on top of investments in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the Maldives raised some disquiet in India about China's expanding reach in the region and prompted faster movement on the Iranian project. - Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
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