KABUL: A three-way agreement on the Chabahar port in Iran would be signed by June, Afghanistan’s ambassador to India was quoted as saying on Friday.
Since 2003, Afghanistan, India and Iran have held marathon negotiations on the Chabahar Agreement, but prospects for it have brightened after the lifting of sanctions on Tehran.
Ambassador Shaida Mohammad Abdali said: “After years of negotiations, we can definitely say it’s a done deal. This is a project not just for the development and prosperity of Afghanistan, but the whole region.”
In an interview with The Hindustan Times, he expressed the hope the agreement would be inked at the “highest level possible” in May but not later than June.
Last month, representatives of the three countries initialed the text of the agreement on establishing a transit-transport corridor with Chabahar port at its heart.
Kabul recently warned of possible attacks on the Indian-funded Zaranj-Delaram highway, which is intended to serve as a link to Chabahar.
But the ambassador insisted Afghan security forces were ready to secure the 218 km two-lane highway from Delaram in Farah province to Zaranj in Nimroz.
Abdali said the agreement would enable Afghanistan and India to reach markets in Central Asia. “Afghanistan is going to witness major milestones in the months ahead,” he concluded.
