Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid says Iran is critical to his countryâ„¢s energy security, saying the Islamic Republic can provide greater access to Central Asia.
Khurshid made the remarks on Saturday in his address to a three-day conference on Central Asia held at the Kashmir University.
“We are looking at re-energizing the national North-South Corridor to connect India with Central Asia and Russia through Iran,” the Indian minister said.
He said that India is considering trans-Afghan routes using Iranian port of Chabahar, particularly to get access to Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, adding it is also thinking of a rail link from Kazakhstan to Turkmenistan into Iran.
Å“Of course, it does make Iran very critical. On the other hand, it makes Afghanistan very critical,” Khurshid stated.
The North-South Transport Corridor is the ship, rail, and road route for moving freight from South Asia to Europe through Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Russia.
The Islamic Republic is located in the international corridor. The Iranian part of the corridor starts in Chabahar port city in the south and will continue up to the city of Mashhad.
Iran’s Chabahar port — located 72 kilometers west of Pakistan’s Gwadar port — holds immense strategic and economic significance for India.
The port is already connected to the city of Zaranj in Afghanistan’s southwestern province of Nimruz and can serve as India’s entry point to Afghanistan, Central Asia and beyond.
AR/AS
Republished with permission from:: Press TV