Port of Call : Joint Statement of 1st India-Central Asia Joint Working Group on Chabahar

MUMBAI: The first meeting of the India-Central Asia Joint Working Group (JWG) on Chabahar Port was held in Mumbai on April 12-13, 2023. The meeting was chaired by the Secretary (ER) and attended by the Deputy Ministers and Senior Officials of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan. The special invitees for the event were the Country representative of the UN World Food Program (UNWFP), the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Consul General of the Islamic Republic ofAfghanistan.

During the meeting, the Managing Ddirector of India Ports Global Limited (IPGL) gave a comprehensive presentation on the facilities and the current operations at the Shahid Beheshti Terminal, Chabahar Port. The country representative for UNWFP made a presentation on the ongoing cooperationbetweenIndiaandUNWFP in Afghanistan for the delivery of wheat assistance. The consul general of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan emphasised the significance of Chabahar Port for the delivery of humanitarian assistance for the Afghan people and for providing economic opportunities for Afghan businessmen andtraders.

The Deputy Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran proposed to hold the next round of the India-Central AsiaJointWorkingGroup(JWG)inIran along with the participation of the private sector. The participants welcomedtheproposal.

The participants agreed on the following:

(a) Appreciated the role played by Shahid Behesti Terminal, Chabahar Port in facilitating the shipments of humanitarian assistance for the Afghan people.SinceIPGLtookoveroperations in December 2018, India has utilised the porttoshipatotalof2.5milliontonnesof wheat and two thousand tonnes of pulsestoAfghanistan.

(b) Noted that the further development of regional connectivity is essential for enhancing trade and commerce between India and Central Asian countries in the context of their land-locked nature and lack of overland connectivitywithIndia.

(c) Reaffirmed that the connectivity initiatives should conform with international norms, rule of law, and respect for international commitments, and are based on mutually agreed principles of sustainable connectivity, transparency, broad participation, local priorities, financial sustainability, and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrityofallcountries.

(d) Emphasised that the connectivity projects deserve priority attention and could be a force multiplier for trade and economic cooperation and contactsbetweencountriesandpeople.

(e) Agreed that connectivity requires the active participation of the private sector. In order to facilitate large-scale private investments in sustainable connectivity, the sides expressed their commitment to implement relevant international standards,toensurealevelplayingfield for companies and to ensure reciprocal accesstomarkets.

(f)Upontheirrequest,theIndianside offeredcapacity-buildingprogrammesto the officials/relevant stakeholders of participatingcountriesinthefieldofport managementandlogistics.

5. The participants thanked the Republic of India for holding the first Joint Working Group Meeting on the joint use of Chabahar Port in Mumbai and agreed to hold the next round of meetingsatamutuallyconvenientdate.