Uzbekistan to push for connectivity plan through Chabahar

The three countries intend to hold the second meeting of a trilateral working group to discuss the joint use of Chabahar port on Iran’s Makran coast for trade and transit, Uzbekistan’s deputy foreign minister Furkat Sidikov said on the sidelines of a roundtable here on foreign policy issues.

He indicated that the recent developments in Afghanistan would not have any impact on the plans of the three countries, Hindustan Times reported.

“India is one of our strategic partners and this is an important project,” Sidikov said. The first virtual meeting of the trilateral working group on the joint use of Chabahar port was held last December, and the three sides will set the date for the second meeting, he said.

Bakhtiyor Mustafayev, deputy director of the state-backed International Institute for Central Asia, said the government of landlocked Uzbekistan believes it is strategically important to diversify efforts to enhance access to the oceans.

MA/PR