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India Developing Chabahar Port to Ensure Afghanistan’s Reconstruction: Envoy to UN

India, Iran, and Afghanistan signed a pact to develop Chabahar as a trade corridor in 2016. This May, India and Iran further advanced the project with a 10-year agreement to develop the Gulf of Oman port.
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Indian Permanent Representative (PR) to the United Nations, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish has said that India is developing the Chabahar Port to ensure the "reconstruction and development" of Afghanistan.

"We are also developing the Chabahar port in order to provide connectivity to Afghanistan and to ensure its reconstruction and development," Harish stated, delivering India's national statement at the quarterly UN Security Council (UNSC) meeting on Afghanistan in New York on Thursday.

Harish stated that as a contiguous neighbour, India has been committed towards the rebuilding and reconstruction of Afghanistan since 2001, highlighting that the Indian government-backed development projects were located in all the 34 provinces of Afghanistan.

"Since August 2021, India has delivered 27 tonnes of relief material, 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat, 40,000 litre of pesticides and more than 300 tonnes of medicines and medical accessories," the diplomat noted.

Notably, India has been using the Chabahar Port to route humanitarian supplies to Afghanistan.
Moreover, he said that India Indin sacholarship schemes for Afghan students have benefitted 2,000 youngsters, including 600 girls.

"India has partnered with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Afghanistan to provide assistance for the welfare of Afghan poppy-users, especially women. Under this partnership, since 2022, India has supplied around 11,000 hygiene kits, baby food, blankets, clothes, medical aid and other item to UNODC Kabul," the senior Indian diplomat remarked.

In his address, Harish emphasised that India's "contemporary relationship" with Afghanistan was based on historical and civilisational bonds and age-old people-to-people exchanges.

"Our broad approach remains to provide humanitarian and development assistance to the people of Afghanistan and to create a national consensus under the UN framework to resolve various issues between the de-facto authorities in Afghanistan and the international community," the UN envoy said.

India is closely monitoring the evolving situation in Afghanistan and is an active stakeholder in regional and international efforts to maintain peace and stability in the country, he added.

"Our participation in UN meetings in Doha, Moscow format and other fora are a reflection of our efforts to secure peace, stability and development in Afghanistan. India has also joined the two UNAMA working groups on counter narcotics and enabled the private sector in Afghanistan," remarked Harish.

He remarked that the UNSC resolution 2593, which warns against the use of Afghan territory by terrorists to attack other countries, continued to guide the international community's approach to combatting terror in Afghanistan. The resolution was passed under the Indian presidency of the UNSC.
Further, Harish pointed out that providing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remained a "shared global priority", as stated in the Indian-backed UNSC resolution.
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Afghanistan to Gain Significantly From India-Backed Chabahar Port
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