Chabahar Port construction will not be affected by politics

February 22, 2006 - 0:0
TEHRAN (Webindia123) – Recent political developments will not affect the cooperation between India and Iran over the 150-million dollar deal for the construction of two container piers at Chabahar Port in southeast Iran, Managing director of Ports and Shipping Organisation of Iran Ali Taheri has said.

''The Indians have promised to participate actively in the Chabahar project,'' Tehran Times quoted Mr Taheri as saying.

India has been given time till mid-April to finalize the deal.

''They (Indians) are now trying to meet their commitments,'' Mr Taheri said without elaborating.

India has voted twice against Iran's nuclear program, but that has not deterred Teheran to go ahead with the groundbreaking gas pipeline project that will take natural gas from Iran's southern hydrocarbon-rich regions to energy hungry India via Pakistan, the official said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced last week that he favored Pakistan and Iran building the over seven-billion-dollar 2,100 kilometer gas pipeline together, since joint participation would make the project more secure.