Roundup: Iran, India, Afghanistan sign trilateral deal to boost regional cooperation

Iran, India and Afghanistan signed a trilateral deal here on Monday to boost their regional trade and economic cooperation.

The agreement, signed in the presence of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, is to develop Iran's Chabahar port, which would serve as a transit route connecting the three countries.

Rouhani termed the deal as a historic occasion, saying that the trilateral agreement bears the message of progress through cooperation and seizing the regional opportunities.

"Today's document is not only an economic document, but a political and a regional one. Its message is regional countries should seize opportunities to develop," Rouhani told the signing ceremony.

Other countries can join the deal and act upon the agreement in the near future, as it would serve the interests of the entire region, Rouhani said.

Via Chabahar transit port, India is connected to Afghanistan, Central Asia and Caucasus states, he added.

"The agreement signed today will not seek to act against any other countries, but it will seek to bring about the peace and prosperity for all countries in the region," Rouhani said.

For his part, Modi said that "The agreement to develop Chabahar port, for which India will provide 500 million U.S. dollars, is a key milestone."

"The outcomes and agreements signed today open a new chapter in our strategic partnership," he said.

Leading a high-ranking politico-economic delegation, Indian prime minister arrived in Iran's capital Tehran on Sunday for talks on key economic cooperation with Iran.

Also, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani arrived in Tehran on Monday to sign the trilateral deal.

Ghani made his first visit to Iran since March 2015, when the two countries stressed cooperation in executing bilateral and multilateral projects with regional countries, particularly with India, to develop Chabahar port.

In May 2014, India and Iran signed an MoU to jointly develop the port once the international sanctions against Iran were lifted. Both sides agreed as per the MoU to allow India lease two docks at the port for a period of 10 years, a move that was meant to cut India's crude oil and urea transportation costs by around 30 percent.

Chabahar is located in the Gulf of Oman on the border with Pakistan. India's move to develop Chabahar port, if implemented, would enable New Delhi to dodge Pakistan and establish a strategic connectivity to Afghanistan as well as Central Asia.

Earlier on the day, Iranian and Indian officials inked 12 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) in Tehran to expand ties in diverse areas.

Based on the agreements, both countries will cooperate to interact politically through dialogue and the institutions in their foreign ministries.

They also agreed to collaborate on science and technology and the conduct of cultural programs.

The Iranian and Indian governments will further carry out a number of joint economic projects including the development of Iran's southeastern port city of Chabahar.

Rouhani told a joint press conference following the signing ceremony that both Iran and India have decided to elevate their bilateral relations from merely trade ties to comprehensive economic, political and scientific cooperation.

Both nations as well as the entire region will benefit from the boost of these relations, as the nuclear agreement between Iran and the world powers have provided the ground to this end, he added.

For his part, the Indian prime minister said that "reinforcing India-Iran economic cooperation would serve the interests of the two nations."

"India and Iran play pivotal roles in enhancing regional peace," he said, adding that both countries can cooperate against recurring crimes including terrorism and extremism in the region, drug trafficking and cyber crimes. Endit