Tashkent, Nov 08: 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 here today 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 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 US dollar 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.
Bureau Report