Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi welcomed President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr. Hassan Rouhani, to New Delhi last month, where the two heads of state reiterated their commitment to activating the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and they stressed the need for the inclusion of the Chabahar Port within its framework.
India's accession to TIR was welcomed as an additional step towards enhancing regional connectivity and linking regional centres of economic growth.
India has for some time been working with Iran to create alternative, reliable access routes for trade across the region, with Chabahar Port and INSTC opening a new gateway to and from Afghanistan, Central Asia and beyond to Russia and Europe.
The country’s accession to TIR in 2017 put a strong focus on connectivity and the facilitation of transport along INSTC. The mention of TIR on the state visit now builds momentum towards first TIR operations in the coming months.