At their first joint working group meeting on the Chabahar port, India and the central Asian nations reaffirmed that connectivity initiatives should comply with global norms, transparency, local priorities, financial sustainability and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries.
The comments, mentioned in a joint statement released on Friday 14 Aprilfollowing the meeting hosted by India in Mumbai on April 12 and 13, came amid growing global criticism of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
India has been pushing for the Chabahar port project to boost regional trade, especially for its connectivity to Afghanistan.
At the meeting, the country representative for the UN World Food Programme (UNWFP) made a presentation on the ongoing cooperation between India and the UNWFP in Afghanistan for the delivery of wheat assistance.
The statement said the consul general of Afghanistan emphasised the significance of the Chabahar port for the delivery of humanitarian assistance for the Afghan people and providing economic opportunities for Afghan businessmen and traders.
Located in the Sistan-Balochistan province on the energy-rich Iran’s southern coast, the Chabahar port is being developed by India and Iran to boost connectivity and trade ties.
China has been facing criticism of creating debt traps for a number of countries while pushing projects under the BRI. Several African countries are finding it difficult to repay the loans provided by China for BRI projects.
At the meeting, the deputy foreign minister of Iran proposed to hold the next round of the India-Central Asia Joint Working Group (JWG) deliberations in his country, along with the participation of the private sector. The participants welcomed the proposal.
Source: Sagar Sandesh
