- External Affairs Minister (EAM), Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who was on a 2-day (22-23 December 2019) visit to Iran, co-chaired the 19thJoint Commission Meeting 2019 with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif in Tehran, Iran.
Key Points:
- During the meet, 2 sides agreed to speed up the work on the strategic Chabahar project, which is being jointly developed by India, Iran and Afghanistan.
- Both sides also agreed to celebrate their 70thanniversary of bilateral treaty of friendship in 2020. As a part of the celebration, they will promote exchanges between the Parliamentarians, organize cultural festivals, promote people-to-people contact and youth exchanges.
- The Chabahar project, which was signed in May 2016, is considered a gateway to trade opportunities with the three countries of Central Asian Nations.
- Jaishankar also met Iranian President Hassan Rouhani & held talks about the bilateral cooperation between the two sides.
Chabahar port:
- It is on the Indian Ocean about 100 kilometres west of the Pakistan border. It consists of 2 separate ports – Shahid Kalantari & Shahid Beheshti. India and Iran first agreed to plans to further develop Shahid Beheshti port in 2003.
