The agreement that includes an introduction and 15 articles was presented by Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, had been approved during a cabinet meeting back in October last year and it was submitted to the parliament last week in the form of a bill for passing legal procedures.
The bill was finally put into force in the public session of the Parliament and was passed by the Iranian MPs on Wednesday morning.
The purpose of the agreement is to improve relations between the three countries of Iran, India and Afghanistan and facilitate transportation and transit of goods and passengers through railway, road, air and customs in the port of Chabahar.
The bill, which was approved by 163 votes in favor, one against and two abstentions from a total of 200 MPs present at the session, gives way to establishment of an international transportation and transit corridor between the governments of Iran, Afghanistan and India.
The preface of the bill expresses the willingness of the governments of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Republic of India to develop and improve their capabilities for facilitation of transport and transit of goods and passengers, given the importance of Chabahar Port as the focus of development in transport and transit cooperation between the three countries with the aim of taking advantage of railway, road, air and customs facilities of the mentioned southern Iranian port.
In May 2016, In May, Tehran, New Delhi and Afghanistan signed an epoch-making agreement in Tehran to establish a transit and transportation corridor.
The agreement known as Chabahar Trilateral Agreement was signed by the three countries’ officials in the presence of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, his Afghan counterpart Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Tehran.
The trilateral Chabahar agreement will considerably increase making use of Chabahar port that will connect India to Central Asia through Afghanistan and instead will provide Afghanistan’s access to India via sea.
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