Saturday, November 8, 2003
India to take part in building trans-Afghan road, rail links
Press Trust of India Tashkent, November 8
In a bid to boost economic and trade ties with energy rich Central Asia, India has agreed to actively participate in building trans-Afghanistan road and rail links between Uzbekistan's Termez to Iran's Chahbahar Port in the Gulf.
Disclosing this External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha, who is on a three-day visit to Uzbekistan, told reporters in Tashkent on Saturday that the tri-lateral Indo-Afghan-Iranian accord on building the road would reduce the distance from India to Central Asia by 1500 km.
"We have also decided to add a rail link too," Sinha said.
The 200 km Zaranj-Delaran sector of the proposed transport corridor is already complete on which India has spent $ 70 million, he said. Under the wide-ranging agreements reached by Sinha with the Uzbek leadership, Uzbekistan will build a highway linking Afghan Port of Khairaton with Herat and India would negotiate with the government in Kabul to extend Zaranj-Delaran sector to Herat in western Afghanistan.
He said that after the agreement with the Kabul government finances would be worked out.
© Hindustan Times Ltd. 2003.