The decision was made during the 15th round of
India-Uzbekistan Foreign Office Consultation (FoC) on Wednesday, where both
sides agreed to maximize efforts on the port as a commercial transit hub for
the region.
Chabahar is a more commercial and stable route for landlocked
countries of the region to reach India and the global market, making the port
India’s much-need gateway to landlocked Afghanistan, including other northern
countries.
“The talks particularly focused on greater economic
cooperation and steps to enhance connectivity between India and Uzbekistan,”
the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) statement said after the
India-Uzbekistan FOC, as The Print quoted. “Both sides agreed to exploit the
full potential of Chabahar port for trade between the two countries.”
During the consultations, both sides undertook a
comprehensive review of the state and prospects of bilateral cooperation
including political, security, trade-economic, connectivity, development
partnership, humanitarian and cultural spheres, according to the report.
Uzbekistan’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Furkat
Sidikov on Tuesday said that his country can be a gateway for Indian
businessmen to get access to the Eurasian market.
“You know that now traditional supply chains are not working
well. So in this case, I see that Uzbekistan can be a getaway for Indian
businessmen to get access to Eurasian markets. India is one of the biggest
investors in Uzbekistan,” Sidikov said, as The Printed quoted.
He further added there is one issue of logistics
and now they will work with the government of India and would like to use
Chabahar.