EAM Jaishankar meets Armenian counterpart; stresses on Chabahar Port's inclusion in NSTC

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday met his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan and stressed the need for enhanced connectivity between both nations. EAM Jaishankar proposed that Iran's Chabahar Port could be added to the North-South Transport Corridor (NSTC) that has the potential to bridge connectivity barriers. EAM Jaishankar arrived in Armenia on Tuesday with an aim to improve bilateral relations and discuss regional issues, including Afghanistan. Notably, this is the first-ever visit by an EAM to Armenia.

Speaking at the joint press with Mirzoyan, Jaishankar said, "Both India and Armenia are members of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), which has the potential to bridge the connectivity barrier. So Minister Mirzoyan and I discussed the interest which Armenia has shown in the utilisation of the Chabahar Port in Iran and being developed by India."

He also proposed that Chabahar port should be included in NSTC. "We welcome the use of the Chabahar Port and any other initiative that will encourage regional connectivity," Jaishankar said.

India-Chabahar port connection

Located on the Gulf of Oman, Chabahar port's first phase was inaugurated in 2017, establishing a new strategic route connecting India, Afghanistan and Iran, bypassing Pakistan. The seaport is will be a major boost to trade between India, Iran and Afghanistan in wake of Islamabad denying transit access to New Delhi. notably, India and Iran had signed a bilateral agreement in May 2016 agreeing that India would develop one of the berths of Shahid Beheshti port, one of the two ports in Chabahar port.

When asked about India's interest in the development of the Chabahar port, Jaishankar said, "we are interested because if we develop more ports in Iran and then connectivity from those ports to northwards of Iran, it opens up more trade routes which are land-based, which are more efficient than these sea-based routes." He said that the port will be key to economic progress in terms of the movement of goods.

Calling connectivity important, Jaishankar cited the Suez Canal incident when Evergreen ship disrupted trades between Asia and Europe. So for us, the NSTC is a very important initiative, he said. "We have invested a lot of energy, given it a lot of priority and we, I think, all our participation (member countries) will add more options and more possibilities to an initiative which has been under discussion," EAM stated.

Jaishankar and Mirozyan also paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi's statue in Yerevan and planted a tree of friendship. The External Affairs Ministers also met Indian students and thanked the Armenian government for the welfare of Indian students.

(With PTI inputs)