Chabahar Development to Benefit Region

President Hassan Rouhani said the development of the southeastern port of Chabahar will help improve relations among regional countries. Speaking in a meeting with provincial officials in Zahedan on Sunday, the capital of Sistan-Baluchestan Province, Rouhani also said the project will positively affect Iran’s security and economy. “The opening of the first phase of the development of the [Chabahar] port will not only profit Sistan-Baluchestan Province and Iran, but it will also benefit our neighbors and other regional states,” his official website quoted the president as saying.  The first phase of Chabahar Port was inaugurated by Rouhani earlier in the day, in the presence of dignitaries from India, Qatar, Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries.  The port is expected to play a significant role in facilitating trade between regional countries, particularly the landlocked Central Asian countries. India, Afghanistan and Iran signed a trilateral transit agreement on the expansion of Chabahar Port last year. The strategic Iranian port, located on the coast of the Sea of Oman, will have four phases.