India joins Ashgabat agreement

India has recently joined Ashgabat Agreement on the establishment of an International Transport and Transit Corridor between the Iran, Oman, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The agreement was signed in April 2011, which envisages facilitation of transit and transportation of goods between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf. The accession to the Agreement would diversify India’s connectivity options with Central Asia and have a positive influence on its trade and commercial ties with the region. India’s accession to the agreement will come into force on February 3, 2018. This agreement will complement India’s presence in Chabahar Port, INSTC as well as future accession to Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). The Ashgabat agreement is a Multimodal transport agreement between Oman, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and India for creating an international transport and transit corridor facilitating transportation of goods between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf.