New Delhi: The draft of Chabahar trilateral transit agreement involving India, Iran and Afghanistan is ready and is expected to be finalised soon, the Afghan envoy said on Monday.
"In the context of regional initiatives, the Chabahar trilateral is a very serious issue. We are very strongly pursuing (it) and we are making progress there," Afghan Ambassador Shaida M Abdali told reporters at his residence.
"There has been a draft ready recently and the draft is being looked at right now by the three parties and we expect this will soon be finalised and then fix a date for signing this trilateral in one of the three countries," he said.
The transit agreement involves India, Iran and Afghanistan. India had held discussions with Iran on the Chabahar port during External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid`s visit to Tehran in May.
"We are hoping this will soon be signed between the three countries that will make the three countries connected...And connect Afghanistan to the sea," Abdali said.
The Chabahar port is strategically crucial as it gives access route to Afghanistan. The port, which is surrounded by a free trade zone, is vital particularly since Pakistan does not allow transit facility from India to Afghanistan.
"Any investment in the building or rebuilding of Afghanistan`s critical infrastructure will not only help grow the Afghan economy but also achieve our two countries` shared objective of enhancing regional connectivity for easy movement of goods and transit and export of energy and mineral resources," Abdali said.
"In this regard, we look forward to signing the trilateral transit trade agreement with India and Iran soon in order to fully utilise the Chabahar Port to further connect the whole region," he added.
