Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation held bilateral talks with Dr Abbas Akhoundi, Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development in New Delhi today. The talks were preceded by an Indo-Iran Joint Business Seminar attended by officials and nearly a hundred delegates from the public and private sector and various trade bodies from both countries .Talking to media persons after the talks Shri Gadkari termed the discussions as very fruitful. He said the Chabahar Port was very important for both India and Iran, and offered a win-win situation to both countries. He said the port would be a growth engine for India as it opened up an alternate route for exports to Afghanistan and Russia. It would also open up business opportunities for investors of both India and Iran to invest in each other’s country, he said. The Minister further informed that the two countries have sorted out all issues pertaining to the Chabahar Port in their discussions today. He also said the Indo-Iran Joint Business Seminar was a fruitful exercise for exploring business opportunities in the two countries. He expressed confidence that today’s meeting would help to further strengthen the good relations between the two countries.
Dr Akhoundi spoke of various infrastructure projects in Iran and highlighted the investor friendly business environment, particularly in the transportation and logistics sector.The Indo-Iran Joint Business Seminar held earlier during the day focussed on Chabahar Port, opportunities in Free Zone and Transit Corridors. The Minister of State for Shipping, Road Transport & Highways and Chemicals & Fertilizers Shri Mansukh Mandaviya spoke about the initiatives taken by the Government of India to enhance bilateral cooperation in the maritime sector. Presentations were made by the Managing Director, India Port Global Limited, the Managing Director of Port and Maritime Organisation of Iran and by their Deputy Minister of Transport, on Transit Corridors and Transhipment. The business event was attended by nearly a hundred delegates from the public and private sector and various trade bodies from both countries. The meeting closed with an insightful open house session in which relevant questions were posed and discussed with stakeholders and potential investors.