India, Iran, Afghanistan ink trade pacts

Tuesday, 07 January 2003, 20:30 IST
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DUBAI: India, Iran and Afghanistan have signed two tripartite agreements to expand cooperation in trade and transit facilities. The countries have agreed to use the Iran-Afghanistan railroad as well as Iranian and Indian shipping lines in order to send commodities to Central Asia. The memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were inked in Teheran Sunday by Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Digvijay Singh, Iranian Minister of Commerce Mohammad Shariatmadari and Minister of Roads and Transportation Ahmad Khorram, and Afghan Trade Minister Mostafa Kazemi, reported Irna news agency. Digvijay Singh is in Tehran on a three-day official visit ahead of Iranian President Mohammad Khatami's visit to India within a couple of weeks. According to the agreements, the three sides are to cooperate and coordinate activities in the fields of trade and investment. In the meeting leading to the signing of the MoUs, Iran pledged to reduce 90 percent of all taxes on non-oil goods being transited from Chabahar Port to Afghanistan and to write off warehousing and labour costs by up to 50 percent. Irna said that the signatories had also agreed to hold several exhibitions to promote their products and enhance the levels of trade and economic exchanges. They have also agreed to open a new route from Chabahar Port in Zabol province in Iran to Zaranj and Dilaram provinces in Afghanistan. Earlier, Digvijay Singh met Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi and the two discussed means to expand bilateral economic ties. Irna quoted the Indian minister as saying that the upcoming visit of President Khatami would play a key role in broadening New Delhi-Teheran relations. Digvijay Singh also highlighted his country's determination to reconstruct Afghanistan and called for cooperation from Iran in the reconstruction. Kharrazi said it was the responsibility of the international community and Afghanistan's neighbours in particular to help restore security there. India-Iran bilateral trade in 2001-02 was valued at $2 billion.
Source: IANS
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