MUMBAI (Pajhwok): The Chabahar port in the Persian Gulf is an appropriate tool of expanding trade ties between Afghanistan and India, an official said on Tuesday.
Debasish Mallik, deputy head of Indian’s EXIM Bank, said this in Mumbai where he was speaking to visiting journalist from Afghanistan.
He said India was the second largest trade partner of Afghanistan after Pakistan. The EXIM Bank has provided $7 million assistance to Afghanistan in recent years, he recalled.
Mallik added India enjoyed great trade relations with China and the US but under SAARC, Afghanistan was its fifth largest trade partner.
He noted Afghanistan and Indian enjoyed historic political, economic and social links that could be further strengthened through the Chabahar port.
Referring to tensions between Iran and the US, he said: “India has made a huge investment in the Chabahar port, which has fortunately been exempted from sanctions.”
He said India needed a variety of agricultural products and Afghan businessmen could dispatch them to his country.
nh/mud
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