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handed over the Chabahar port to India and its doors are open for Pakistan, an Iranian official here said.
Abbas Badrifar, press attaché at the Iranian embassy in Islamabad, told The Nation that Iran preferred Pakistan as a Muslim-majority nation in the region to the countries where the Muslims were in minority.
“It is wrong to say that we have handed over the Chabahar port to India . There have been some agreements for trade and business. Our doors are open for Pakistan, in fact we prefer Pakistan as a Muslim-majority country,” he said.
Badrifar added: “While Iran wants good ties with all the countries, our policy prefers the countries where Muslims are in majority. Pakistan is a key country.”
He said India had invested only $85 million instead of billions of dollars being reported. This month Iran and India signed agreements, including Tehran leasing to New Delhi operational control of part of the Iranian east coast port of Chabahar for 18 months.
The $85 million project, just 90 kilometres from Gwadar port , creates a transit route between India , Iran and Afghanistan.
The leasing agreement, giving operational control to India of Shahid Beheshti port - phase one of the Chabahar port - was signed in the presence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani during the Iranian leader’s visit to India . The agreement was signed after Rouhani held wide-ranging talks with Modi aiming to ramp up regional connectivity and intensifying bilateral trade and investment.
Chabahar provides a strategic option to India to connect with Afghanistan and Central Asia. India has committed to construct the railway line from Chabahar to Zahedan, which is close to Zaranj on the Afghanistan-Iran border. The close by Gwadar port in Pakistan’s Balochistan province is being developed by China.
Badrifar said Chabahar and Gwadar were not rivals but sister ports of two friendly Muslim-majority countries.
“President Rouhani’s visit to India does not mean we are against Pakistan. President Rouhani visited Pakistan twice in the recent past and can visit [Pakistan] in the near future too. As a sovereign country, we have independent ties with other countries but we can never be against Pakistan,” he explained.
Badrifar said Iran’s soil could never be used against Pakistan.
He said Pakistan had a great importance in Iran’s foreign policy. “In fact, we had agreed to Pakistan’s mediatory role between Iran and Saudi Arabia. It was Saudi Arabia who declined Pakistan’s offer,” Badrifar reminded, referring to the Iran-Saudi Arabia tension.
He said Pakistan army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa’s visit to Iran in November last year had been successful and both the sides had vowed to enhance cooperation. Badrifar said the Iranian leadership had acknowledged Pakistan’s sacrifices and achievements in the war against terror and its contributions towards regional peace.
Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammed Faisal said Pakistan had a consistent position that Afghanistan as a landlocked country had a right of transit access through any neighbouring country according to its needs.
“On Chabahar Port , let me reiterate what the Iranians said earlier that Chabahar and the Gwadar ports are complementary in nature,” he said, adding: “Our trade with Afghanistan, Iran and China continues as before. I have already mentioned that Chabahar and Gwadar port are complementary to each other.”
Defense analyst and former Brigadier Harris Nawaz said Pakistan and Iran needed to build a strong bilateral relationship. “There can be misunderstandings. We should try to remove them [the misunderstandings] and start a new chapter of friendly relations. Pakistan and Iran should expedite work on bilateral projects including Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline project,” he said.
Nawaz said Pakistan should convince Iran to become part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Iran, he said, should also be careful in getting Indian help for development of Chahbahar port as the presence of India in Iran could be perceived as a strategic threat in Islamabad.
https://nation.com.pk/26-Feb-2018/chabahar-port-not-fully-handed-over-to-india-iran
handed over the Chabahar port to India and its doors are open for Pakistan, an Iranian official here said.
Abbas Badrifar, press attaché at the Iranian embassy in Islamabad, told The Nation that Iran preferred Pakistan as a Muslim-majority nation in the region to the countries where the Muslims were in minority.
“It is wrong to say that we have handed over the Chabahar port to India . There have been some agreements for trade and business. Our doors are open for Pakistan, in fact we prefer Pakistan as a Muslim-majority country,” he said.
Badrifar added: “While Iran wants good ties with all the countries, our policy prefers the countries where Muslims are in majority. Pakistan is a key country.”
He said India had invested only $85 million instead of billions of dollars being reported. This month Iran and India signed agreements, including Tehran leasing to New Delhi operational control of part of the Iranian east coast port of Chabahar for 18 months.
The $85 million project, just 90 kilometres from Gwadar port , creates a transit route between India , Iran and Afghanistan.
The leasing agreement, giving operational control to India of Shahid Beheshti port - phase one of the Chabahar port - was signed in the presence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani during the Iranian leader’s visit to India . The agreement was signed after Rouhani held wide-ranging talks with Modi aiming to ramp up regional connectivity and intensifying bilateral trade and investment.
Chabahar provides a strategic option to India to connect with Afghanistan and Central Asia. India has committed to construct the railway line from Chabahar to Zahedan, which is close to Zaranj on the Afghanistan-Iran border. The close by Gwadar port in Pakistan’s Balochistan province is being developed by China.
Badrifar said Chabahar and Gwadar were not rivals but sister ports of two friendly Muslim-majority countries.
“President Rouhani’s visit to India does not mean we are against Pakistan. President Rouhani visited Pakistan twice in the recent past and can visit [Pakistan] in the near future too. As a sovereign country, we have independent ties with other countries but we can never be against Pakistan,” he explained.
Badrifar said Iran’s soil could never be used against Pakistan.
He said Pakistan had a great importance in Iran’s foreign policy. “In fact, we had agreed to Pakistan’s mediatory role between Iran and Saudi Arabia. It was Saudi Arabia who declined Pakistan’s offer,” Badrifar reminded, referring to the Iran-Saudi Arabia tension.
He said Pakistan army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa’s visit to Iran in November last year had been successful and both the sides had vowed to enhance cooperation. Badrifar said the Iranian leadership had acknowledged Pakistan’s sacrifices and achievements in the war against terror and its contributions towards regional peace.
Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammed Faisal said Pakistan had a consistent position that Afghanistan as a landlocked country had a right of transit access through any neighbouring country according to its needs.
“On Chabahar Port , let me reiterate what the Iranians said earlier that Chabahar and the Gwadar ports are complementary in nature,” he said, adding: “Our trade with Afghanistan, Iran and China continues as before. I have already mentioned that Chabahar and Gwadar port
Defense analyst and former Brigadier Harris Nawaz said Pakistan and Iran needed to build a strong bilateral relationship. “There can be misunderstandings. We should try to remove them [the misunderstandings] and start a new chapter of friendly relations. Pakistan and Iran should expedite work on bilateral projects including Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline project,” he said.
Nawaz said Pakistan should convince Iran to become part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Iran, he said, should also be careful in getting Indian help for development of Chahbahar port as the presence of India in Iran could be perceived as a strategic threat in Islamabad.
https://nation.com.pk/26-Feb-2018/chabahar-port-not-fully-handed-over-to-india-iran
