Iran’s Ambassador to Tajikistan Alireza Haghighian has said that Iran is ready to serve as a gateway to international markets for Central Asian countries.
In a statement delivered at a conference in Dushanbe, Ambassador Haghighian noted on May 7 that that Central Asia is located in a special geopolitical position, terming the region as a crossroad of civilizations and continents, according to IRNA.
The conference was reportedly participated by ambassadors and different officials from Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member nations.
Iranian diplomat noted that this region is of high significance regarding its political importance, stability and security.
Mr. Haghighian reportedly also highlighted the economic potentials of the Central Asia region, as it boasts rich oil and gas and mining resources.
He also referred to Iran’s position which is located between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf, noting that Iran can serve as a gateway to international markets for Central Asian countries.
Recall, the Ministry of Transport of Tajikistan and the Ministry of Roads and Urban Planning of the Islamic Republic of Iran signed in a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on international transportation and transit through Chabahar Port in Dushanbe on November 8, 2023.
Although a MoU is not necessarily legally binding, an official source within the Ministry of Transport of Tajikistan (MoT) said at the time that four main points were agreed upon as part of this document, in particular: 1) simplification and coordination of procedures to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of transport routes passing through Chabahar Port in terms of time, transit costs and mutual reduction of duties and fees on vehicles; 2) attracting cargo from other countries to the routes passing through Chabahar Port in order to facilitate access to regional and global markets via sea, rail and road transport; 3) cooperation on mutual investment in the implementation transport infrastructure development projects on routs passing Chabahar Port; and 4) ensuring the safety of passenger traffic, movement of vehicles, cargo storage and environmental protection in accordance with international standards.
The parties are expected to set up the Steering Committee responsible for coordinating and monitoring activities to provide and support all institutional, human and logistical resources.
According to a MoT, Tajikistan gets access to Chabahar Port in Iran via territories of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
The shortest route from Tajikistan to this port lies through the territory of Afghanistan, but due to the difficult political situation in this country, its territory has not yet been considered as a transit route to Chabahar Port.
Currently, Tajikistan uses Iran’s Bandar-Abbas Port in Persian Gulf for transit transportation of some goods to some more remote regions of the world.
