Veep invites SCO members to participate in Chabahar-Zahedan railway

Tehran, Nov 30, IRNA - First Vice President Es'haq Jahangiri at the 19th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Monday invited SCO members to cooperate in the massive Chabahar rail project to Zahedan. Jahangiri made the remarks at the 19th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of Government which was hosted by India via videoconference on Monday. He said that in today's high-risk world, regional institutions are one of the most effective mechanisms for managing and resolving regional, global, and even national issues. To this end, SCO members can play a significant role in development and progress by utilizing the vast capacities and opportunities for multilateral cooperation. “Since the imposition of US unilateral sanctions is a measure against global free trade and could be repeated for any of its political or economic rivals, the SCO should take appropriate measures to counteract such illegal measures,” he added. He went on to say that the Islamic Republic of Iran, due to its special geographical, historical, cultural, and economic location, which links various regions including Central Asia, the Caucasus, West Asia, and the Middle East, is ready to be one of the rich energy centers and highways of the region with the SCO member states to advance the goals to cooperate in a common economy, including the transfer and export of energy and transit of goods. Describing the location and importance of Chabahar port, he said that the importance of Chabahar port and its rail connections, along the way to Afghanistan and Central Asia, has caused Iran to start construction of the Chabahar-Zahedan railway despite illegal US sanctions. “I appreciate the opportunity and invite other countries, especially SCO members, to participate in Chabahar-Zahedan huge project," Jahangiri added.