President Kovind says Chabahar port could improve trade between India and Central Asia

On Saturday, President Ram Nath Kovind stated that the Chabahar port in Iran, developed by India, could be leveraged to boost India-Central Asian trade relations. President Ram Nath Kovind met with his Turkmenistan counterpart Serdar Berdimuhamedow, at Oguzhar Palace in Ashgabat on Saturday. “The Chabahar port built by India in Iran could be used to improve trade between India and Central Asia,” the President stated. The President went on to say that during the discussions, they emphasized the importance of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and the Ashgabat Agreement on International Transport and Transit Corridor. 

President Ram Nath Kovind reached Turkmenistan for a three-day official visit earlier on Friday afternoon. Soon after his arrival, President Kovind was greeted by a guard of honour in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. 

4 MoUs signed between India and Turkmenistan

The official Twitter account of Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a tweet, "four MoUs for cooperation in disaster management, financial intelligence, culture and youth matters were signed between India and Turkmenistan in the presence of President Kovind and President Serdar Berdimuhamedov." The Financial Monitoring Service of Turkmenistan's Ministry of Finance and Economy and India's Financial Intelligence Unit signed the first Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The governments of Turkmenistan and India signed the second Memorandum of Understanding on Disaster Management. And the Program of Cooperation in the Fields of Culture and Arts was signed by the governments of Turkmenistan and India for the period 2022-2025. Turkmenistan's Ministry of Sports and Youth Policy and India's Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports inked a Memorandum of Understanding on Youth Cooperation.

President Kovind said, "I am confident that the MoU between the Financial Intelligence Unit of India and Financial Monitoring Service of Turkmenistan signed today would strengthen the framework of economic cooperation between the two countries.”

According to the President, connectivity is vital for any economic agreement. Both presidents recognised new areas of collaboration, such as disaster management, for which they signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Saturday.

"I conveyed India's readiness to partner with Turkmenistan in its drive towards digitalization. Space can be another area of mutually beneficial cooperation," President states. He went on to say that the two countries had shared civilizational and cultural ties for generations.

"I underlined the need of holding frequent cultural events in each other's territory during the talks. I am confident that the Culture and Arts Cooperation Programme for the period 2022-25, which was signed today, will guide our cultural cooperation,” President highlighted.

Image: Twitter@rashtrapatibhvn