India, Iran and Uzbekistan have held their first trilateral dialogue at the level of foreign ministries, agreeing to create a mechanism to strengthen cooperation in tackling extremism and terrorism while also facilitating Uzbekistan’s access to Chabahar Port for trade with India.
The meeting, which took place in Tehran on September 9, highlighted the importance of expanding cooperation in connectivity and logistics, making greater use of strategic ports and advancing the International North-South Transit Corridor (INSTC), an official confirmed.
Participants reviewed progress on decisions adopted at the third session of the Chabahar Working Group, held in Mumbai in November 2024. They also discussed ways to improve trade ties and considered other issues of shared interest.
The trilateral followed a similar meeting between India, Iran and Armenia, which focused on the INSTC and Armenia’s use of Chabahar Port.
Beyond Uzbekistan, other Central Asian states including Kazakhstan and Tajikistan are looking to use Chabahar to expand trade with India and gain direct access to the Indian Ocean.
At the same time, India is pushing for an early harvest free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union to strengthen access to Eurasian markets and secure supplies including rare earth minerals.
Kursiv also reports that Uzbek firms plan to buy 300,000 tons of Iranian steel this year and are open to hosting Iranian-built plants.
