Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan,
Head of United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Hideo Ikebe in
a meeting with managing director of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization
(PMO), and deputy Minister of Transport and Urban Development, Ali-Akbar Safaei
stressed the need to expand Afghanistan's transportation ties by using Iran's
appropriate maritime, port, rail and road infrastructure.
During the meeting with Iran's deputy minister of transport
and urban development, Hideo Ikebe expressed hope that with diplomatic support
and UNAMA's follow-up for the competent international authorities, as well as
Afghan domestic authorities, issues related to transportation will be resolved
and transit of goods to or through Afghanistan will be optimized.
He considered Chabahar Port as one of the most important
ports for Afghanistan transportation, and said that with the removal of
obstacles and problems in Afghanistan and with the assistance provided by Iran,
issues related to the transportation and transit of Afghan goods have improved.
Ali Akbar Safaei, head of Iran's Ports and Maritime
Organization (PMO), for his part, while referring to the long-standing cultural
and economic ties between Iran and Afghanistan said that in recent years
Iranians have always been a good host for the Afghan people.
Safaei added that Chabahar Port not only has a valuable position
for the development of the eastern axis of Iran, but also other neighboring
countries such as Afghanistan and the CIS countries can use all the facilities
in Chabahar for the benefit of their countries.
In his remarks in the meeting, Safaei referred to the
operational capacities and facilities and equipment capabilities of Chabahar
port, and voiced readiness of the Ports and Maritime Organization to provide
services to Afghans and other countries.