MEA Press Briefing: India exempted from US sanctions on Chabahar Port in Iran, confirmed the Ministry of External Affairs, rejected the OIC statement on Kashmir.

New Delhi. India has got six months exemption from US sanctions on Iran’s Chabahar port. Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed this and said that our talks are ongoing with the US to finalize the trade agreement. Chabahar Port is very special for India because from here, bypassing Pakistan, there is a direct route for trade to Afghanistan and Central Asia. India had signed an agreement with Iran in the year 2016 and under the same, started the work of developing Chabahar Port. Its main objective is to create a trade route between India, Iran and Afghanistan.

Responding bluntly to Pakistan, India has once again expressed its commitment to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Afghanistan. Randhir Jaiswal said, Pakistan is angry with Afghanistan exercising sovereignty over its own areas. Pakistan believes that it has the right to spread terrorism across the border. India is fully committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Afghanistan. Jaiswal said, as emphasized in the recent India-Afghanistan joint statement, India stands ready to assist Afghanistan in its sustainable water management, including hydropower projects. The two countries have a long history of cooperation, including the Salma Dam, today known as the India-Afghanistan Friendship Dam.

Responding to a question on the statement of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Kashmir, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that we reject those statements. He has no right to speak on the internal affairs of India. OIC had issued a statement on Monday saying that ‘We are united with the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their fight for their right to self-determination.