Abdulrahim Kurdi told the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) that the Iranian and Pakistani ports are not rivals and can cooperate.
Gwadar Port, located south of Pakistan and 72 km from the Chabahar Port, is part of the joint Chinese-Pakistani corridor project aimed at connecting the eastern regions of China to the warm waters of the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean.
Chabahar, as Iran’s sole oceanic port, is the shortest route for Afghanistan and Central Asian countries to have access to Indian ocean.
Kurdi said that Gwader has no capacity to connect with the northern countries and its target markets, while the case is different with Chabahar.
He added that in order to use Chabahar port’s capacity, the Iranian government has taken different steps so far, as the first phase of the Chabahar Port development project was opened by the president about a month ago.
Managing director of Chabahar Free Zone said due to the presence of the Chabahr free zone behind the port, in addition to unloading and loading and distribution operations, there will be the possibility of developing an industrial zone in the nearby Chabahar Free Zone.
Kurdi emphasized “two petrochemical and steel industries are already active in the region.”
In response to the question whether the opening of first phase of the Chabahar port means its activities have started by now, Kurdi said “Chabahar port started its work about a month ago.”
KI/IRN82776980