Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan, Head of United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Hideo Ikebe in a meeting with managing director of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO), and deputy Minister of Transport and Urban Development, Ali-Akbar Safaei stressed the need to expand Afghanistan's transportation ties by using Iran's appropriate maritime, port, rail and road infrastructure.
During the meeting with Iran's deputy minister of transport and urban development, Hideo Ikebe expressed hope that with diplomatic support and UNAMA's follow-up for the competent international authorities, as well as Afghan domestic authorities, issues related to transportation will be resolved and transit of goods to or through Afghanistan will be optimized.
He considered Chabahar Port as one of the most important ports for Afghanistan transportation, and said that with the removal of obstacles and problems in Afghanistan and with the assistance provided by Iran, issues related to the transportation and transit of Afghan goods have improved.
Ali Akbar Safaei, head of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO), for his part, while referring to the long-standing cultural and economic ties between Iran and Afghanistan said that in recent years Iranians have always been a good host for the Afghan people.
Safaei added that Chabahar Port not only has a valuable position for the development of the eastern axis of Iran, but also other neighboring countries such as Afghanistan and the CIS countries can use all the facilities in Chabahar for the benefit of their countries.
In his remarks in the meeting, Safaei referred to the operational capacities and facilities and equipment capabilities of Chabahar port, and voiced readiness of the Ports and Maritime Organization to provide services to Afghans and other countries.