- Kabul’s assessment comes as economy chief Mullah Baradar visits port in southeastern Iran

- Baradar urges Iran to facilitate Afghan trade via Chabahar port

- Connecting to Chabahar port will grant Afghanistan access to markets in Europe, Middle East, India, and China

- Chabahar port enables Afghanistan to connect to international markets with lower time, cost

ISTANBUL

Afghanistan’s economy chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund Thursday urged Iran to facilitate easier access for Afghan trade through its Chabahar port.

Baradar’s office said strategically located Chabahar port enables Afghanistan to establish new trade and transit partnerships while connecting to international markets “with lower time and cost.”

During a trip to the port in southeastern Iran, located on the Gulf of Oman, Baradar emphasized the need to enhance Afghanistan's exports and imports through the port, according to a statement from his office.

Baradar, who is Afghanistan’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs, urged that Iran should “facilitate easier access to Chabahar port, enabling Afghanistan to reach global markets more effectively.”

The Iranian side, the statement added, “assured” Baradar of their support and intent to boost Afghanistan’s trade through the port.

“Connecting to Chabahar port will grant Afghanistan access to markets in Europe, the Middle East, India, and China, thereby strengthening Afghanistan’s global relationships,” the statement noted, pointing out that Chabahar port holds significant economic importance for Central Asian countries, particularly landlocked Afghanistan.

Baradar has been on an official trip to Iran since last weekend, where he has met top officials including foreign and interior ministers.

“Chabahar port offers a more efficient route, being tens of kilometers closer than Bandar Abbas (port in Iran) and hundreds of kilometers shorter than Karachi port (Pakistan), resulting in unprecedented reductions in export costs and transit times,” the statement said.