ArmInfo.Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures of Armenia Gnel Sanosyan will visit the city of Mumbai (India) on October 16-19 to participate in the Global Maritime Summit of India and in a round table on the port of Chabahar.
According to the official website of the government, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed the corresponding decision on October 12.
Iran intends to connect its ports located in the Gulf of Oman (port of Chabahar) and the Persian Gulf (ports of Bandar Abbas, Imam Khomeini and Khorramshahr) in the south of the country with ports located on the Black and Caspian Seas through the Iranian railway network. Connecting the Gulf to the Black Sea will connect four key sea basins, namely the Gulf of Oman, the Caspian Sea (Iran-Azerbaijan), the Black Sea (Georgia, Bulgaria) and the Mediterranean Sea (Greece). In the South Caucasus, Armenia is the only country that is a member of the EAEU and therefore serves as a direct bridge between Iran and the bloc, which clearly highlights the importance of the Persian Gulf-Black Sea international transport and transit corridor for Iran.
Back in March 2021, the Indian Ambassador to Iran stated that the country was going to include Armenia in the North- South transport corridor being created through the Iranian port of Chabahar. In August of the same year, acting Foreign Minister Armen Grigoryan stated at the Indian Embassy in Armenia, that Yerevan is closely following India's active involvement in the North-South international transport corridor project and India's interest in the development of the Chabahar port, and is ready to participate in the implementation of this program.
In May of this year, by decision of the Prime Minister, an interdepartmental working group was established in the Republic of Armenia, which should consider the issues of launching an international multimodal high-speed route and carrying out operator activities in the Iranian port of Chabahar. In June, head of the Ministry of Economy Vahan Kerobyan said that Armenia could become an operator in the Iranian port of Chabahar.
The Global Maritime India Summit, (GMIS) 2023 will bring together representatives of the maritime industry, policy makers, investors and other stakeholders to work on various investment opportunities, promote best practices and facilitate interaction and exchange of ideas. Key topics include: sustainable development of the maritime industry; innovation and technology; maritime safety and professional services at sea; own shipbuilding and repair; inland and coastal shipping, etc. The summit will be another step towards realizing India's development strategy until 2047 (100 years of independence) and will provide opportunities for potential investors and companies wishing to open or expand their presence in India.