Chabahar tidings: on Indian taking over port operations in Iran
As India takes over operations in the Iranian port, the possibilities and challenges are huge
The opening of the first office of Indian Ports Global
Limited at Iran’s Chabahar and the takeover of operations of the Shahid
Beheshti port is a milestone in India’s regional connectivity and trade game
plan. Chabahar port opens up a permanent alternative route for trade with
Afghanistan and Central Asia, given the hurdles in the direct route through
Pakistan. It facilitates India’s role in Afghanistan’s development through
infrastructure and education projects. And it gives India’s bilateral ties with
Iran, a major oil supplier and potential trade market for India, a big fillip.
India has helped develop the Shahid Beheshti port with these outcomes in mind,
and has been given the contract to manage it for 18 months. It will be
important to operationalise the port quickly and smoothen the route to
Afghanistan. The decision by India, Afghanistan and Iran to hold an
international event in February 2019 to promote Chabahar and to study ways to
make the route more attractive and decrease logistic costs is timely. About 500
companies have registered with the Free Trade Zone authority there. While
keeping timelines and delivery of New Delhi’s commitments will be key to the
port becoming a regional hub for transit trade, steel and petrochemicals, it
will be necessary to encourage Afghan companies to use the route more, in line
with President Ashraf Ghani’s desire to have a commercial fleet under the
Afghan flag setting sail from Chabahar.
Visions of Chabahar’s immense potential as a game-changer for prosperity and
stability in the region must, however, necessarily be tempered by the reality
of geopolitical challenges. The Chabahar port has received a waiver from the
U.S. sanctions on Iran for the moment, but these concessions could be withdrawn
any time, given the constant upheaval in the administration. The possibility of
the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, after the pullout from Syria,
will add to security concerns for Afghanistan and impact on the Chabahar route
as well. Meanwhile, the reconciliation process with the Afghan Taliban is
likely to see the regional powers, the U.S. and Russia engaging Pakistan more.
This could give Islamabad space to play spoiler in Chabahar, which is seen as a
rival warm water port to Pakistan’s Gwadar. That the Afghanistan government is
hedging its bets on trade via Chabahar too is clear: in recent months, special
cargo corridors have been opened with China, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Europe,
Russia, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, with more trade diverted through them than
with traditional partners Pakistan and India. With Chabahar, India has done
well to keep a place in the intricate connectivity network of the region. Given
all the competing interests that criss-cross over Chabahar, it will require
sustained and nuanced diplomacy to stay ahead in this game.Courtesy: The Hindu
1. Tidings (noun)
– news, report; information.
2. Take
over (phrasal verb) – take charge of, take command of, assume
responsibility for.
3. Open
up (phrasal verb) – make available (to create/start
developing new opportunities).
4. Facilitate (verb)
– make easier, clear the way for, assist/help.
5. Fillip (noun)
– stimulus, boost, encouragement.
6. Logistic (adjective)
– relating to the commercial activity of transporting goods.
7. Timely (adjective)
– opportune, appropriate/suitable, well timed, at the right time.
8. Hub (noun)
– a central (transport) facility from which many services be in operation.
9. Transit trade (noun) – the
business (of transporting/importing goods) via/through a country to their
destination.
10. In
line with (phrase) – in accordance with.
11. Fleet (noun)
– a group of vehicles (aircrafts/ships) work together under an organisation.
12. Set
sail (phrase) – put out to sea, leave port/dock/harbour, start a
voyage.
13. Prosperity (noun)
– wealth, success, the good life/well being.
14. Necessarily (adverb)
– unavoidably, inevitably, definitely.
15. Temper (verb)
– moderate, lessen, modulate.
16. Geopolitical (adjective)
– relating to (the study of) the effects of geography (human and physical) on
politics and international relations.
17. Waiver (noun)
– renunciation, abandonment, rejection/deferral.
18. Sanctions (noun)
– action taken, or an order given to force a country to obey international
laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country, by not allowing economic
aid for that country, etc (Courtesy: VOA Learning English).
19. Upheaval (noun)
– disruption, disorder, turmoil.
20. Pullout (noun)
– departure, withdrawal, exit.
21. Add
to (phrase) – increase,
boost/enhance, reinforce.
22. Reconciliation (noun)
– restoration of harmony, resolution, compromise.
23. Warm water port (noun)
– a port where the water does not freeze in winter.
24. Hedge (verb)
– safeguard, protect, shield.
25. Intricate (adjective)
– complex, complicated, detailed.
26. Criss-cross (verb)
– traverse, travel across, go across.
27. Sustained (adjective)
– continuous, uninterrupted, constant.
28. Nuanced (adjective) –
delicate, subtle, accurate.
29. Stay ahead (phrasal verb) – to have an
advantage; to remain in front.
Note: All
meanings took from Oxforddictionaries.com and Google.co.in only.
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