India and Uzbekistan on Wednesday held the 15th round of India-Uzbekistan Foreign Office Consultations (FoC) where both sides agreed to exploit the full potential of Chabahar port for trade.
The Chabahar Port is India's much-needed gateway to landlocked Afghanistan. The port has also emerged as a commercial transit hub for the region.
It is a more economical and stable route for landlocked countries of the region to reach India and the global market.
"The talks particularly focused on greater economic cooperation and steps to enhance connectivity between India and Uzbekistan. Both sides agreed to exploit the full potential of Chabahar port for trade between the two countries," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) statement said after the India-Uzbekistan FOC.
During the consultations, both sides undertook a comprehensive review of the state and prospects of bilateral cooperation including political, security, trade-economic, connectivity, development partnership, humanitarian and cultural spheres.
The two sides exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest, including Afghanistan.
Uzbekistan's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Furkat Sidikov on Tuesday said that his country can be a gateway for Indian businessmen to get access to the Eurasian market.
The Uzbek minister also expressed his country's interest in accessing the Chabahar port, being developed by India in Iran for improving logistics.
"You know that now traditional supply chains are not working well. So in this case, I see that Uzbekistan can be a getaway for Indian businessmen to get access to Eurasian markets. India is one of the biggest investors in Uzbekistan," Sidikov said.
He further added there is one issue of logistics and now they will work with the government of India and would like to use Chabahar.
Uzbek Deputy Foreign Minister said that India is a tested and reliable partner for Uzbekistan.
( With inputs from ANI )
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