NEW DELHI: Coming close on the heels of his trip to Gulf’s biggest nation Saudi Arabia Narendra Modi’s visit to another regional power Iran in May 3rd week is expected to seal much awaited commercial contract for India’s participation at the Chabahar port, Indo-Iran-Afghan trilateral pact for the use of Chabahar Port, and possible document on India’s participation in the Farzad-B gas field where ONGC plans to invest three billion USD.
An Indian PM’s visit to Tehran coming in the backdrop of lifting of international sanctions from Iran will also facilitate firming up maritime security arrangement in the Persian Gulf-Indian Ocean Region and institutional mechanism between the Defence Ministries of the two countries, authoritative sources indicated to ET. Delhi and Tehran would also look to expand their counter-terror and cyber-crime partnership.
India recognizes that Iran can be a factor in the stability of Afghanistan and Modi and President Rouhani is hoping to kick start strategic consultative process on Afghanistan as part of Indo-Iranian efforts for a regional approach to address Afghan quagmire. Involvement of Russia in this process is not ruled out at a later stage.
To give further teeth to Indo-Afghan ties via Iran the proposed Indo-Afghan-Iran trilateral agreement on Chabahar port is ready to be inked during PM’s trip, sources indicated. India has been waiting to secure this access for years to expand its partnership with Afghanistan, Central Asia and beyond.
Modi who has been reaching out to countries in India’s extended Western neighbourhood in a vigourous way since last August starting with the UAE trip would like to reposition India in the post-sanctions period through his Tehran visit. Cultural and civilizational linkages apart, three pillars of future Indo-Iranian partnership will rest on connectivity projects, energy partnership and trade and investments. In this regard the much delayed commercial contract for India’s participation in the expansion of Chabahar Port is likely to be inked coinciding with the visit.
Iran had offered India stake at Chabahar in the early years of the past decade. However, negotiations only intensified after nuclear deal between P5 + 1 and Iran last year. But reaching the deal was far from smooth and differences cropped up over ownership as Tehran’s Port Authority introduced role of private player in the process. After several rounds of negotiations between India’s consortium of JNPT and Kandla Port Authority and Iranian authorities the contract is understood to be ready. India is extending 150-million credit line for making of jetties and berths at Chabahar port.
