New Delhi, Oct 6 (IANS) Iran's Ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali, on Tuesday said that the Chabahar-Zahedan railway was part of a broader vision for developing regional connectivity and could give India access to Afghanistan, Central Asia and wider trade routes in the region, with the line expected to become operational in the near future.
"The Chabahar-Zahedan railway is not merely a transport project for Iran and India. It is part of a broader vision for developing regional connectivity. As has been announced, rail-laying on this line is complete and the final stages of making it operational are under way. Provided the necessary conditions are in place, we expect the route to become operational in the near future," Fathali told IANS in an exclusive interview.
The envoy said the line's value lay in connecting Chabahar beyond Zahedan.
"The railway's significance goes beyond connecting Chabahar to Zahedan. It can link Chabahar to Iran's rail network and, through it, to Afghanistan, Central Asia and wider trade routes, facilitating India's access to these markets," he said.
"For this reason, we regard the project as one of the important infrastructure initiatives for economic and transit cooperation between India, Iran and the region, and for strengthening regional connectivity corridors. If this capacity is fully activated, it can play an important role in creating a reliable, sustainable and transformative trade route among India, Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia," the Ambassador added.
Asked about progress on matters of mutual cooperation after the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian that took place on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit last month, Fathali said the Iranian President had acted on it immediately.
"From the very first days after these discussions, President Pezeshkian issued the necessary instructions to the relevant ministries and authorities, and the matters agreed during the meeting are being pursued seriously by the relevant institutions. Various issues are on the agenda in Iran-India relations. Implementing the agreements properly and turning them into practical results requires time and sustained follow-up," he said.
The envoy expressed hope that the process would soon produce results that benefit people in both countries.
"We hope that, by continuing this process and through close cooperation between the relevant institutions of the two countries, we will soon see tangible results from these discussions and agreements, and that the people of both countries will benefit," Fathali said.
"Iran is committed to further developing and deepening relations with India across various fields. We believe the existing capacities between the two countries provide a basis for broader and more productive cooperation," he added.
--IANS
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