The strategic port of Chabahar in Iran, which is being developed by India to build a transport-and-trade corridor through Afghanistan, is expected to be opened in a month's time, an Afghan envoy has said.
The port would give India an access to global markets through Afghanistan.
"The port is likely to open in a month's time and it will provide impetus to the trade between India and Afghanistan," Afghanistan Consul General Mohammad Aman Amin said here today.
The construction of this port assumes significance as it will allow bypassing the route through Pakistan for accessing markets in Europe and Central Asia and also save on time and cost of doing business. India had in May 2016 signed the historic deal with Iran and Afghanistan.
Amin spoke to media on the sidelines of the inaugural ceremony of 10-day training programme for the officers of the Afghanistan Revenue Department (ARD) at National Academy of Direct Taxes (NADT) in Nagpur.
The programme is an innovative endeavour between NADT and the Embassy of India, Kabul (MEA) as a goodwill gesture and is being organised for the first time.
Amin also hoped that a Mumbai-Kabul flight service will be started very soon.
He said "India and Afghanistan share a historical relationship and India has always helped Afghanistan in its times of trouble. The relations between the two countries have improved in the last two years."
(With PTI inputs)
