Afghanistan Bypasses Iran with Lapis Lazuli Corridor
Independent Aggregator of Iran-related News/Events, Kodoom.com: According to Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) the Lapis Lazuli Corridor Agreement, signed between Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, will use the so-called Lajeward Transit Route to help Afghanistan ship goods to the Mediterranean and Europe by bypassing Iran.
The Lajward route is designed to reduce dependence on Iran and Pakistan and to compete against Iran in certain agricultural exports such as saffron.
In December, President Ashraf Ghani, during inauguration of the Lapis Lazuli Route in Herat Province declared: "God willing, the unparalleled grapes of Herat will reach Europe. Herat's marble, which is unique in the world, will reach Italy and other parts of the world. And Herat's saffron, which has won three times the title of the world's best saffron, will be exported everywhere as Afghan saffron ... This is just the beginning. Kandahar's pomegranates, almonds from Samangan and Zabul, and products from all other Afghan provinces will reach the world markets. All the people of Afghanistan share this joyous moment."
Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries claims Lapis Lazuli Corridor is the nearest and cheapest way to transit goods from Afghanistan and Asian countries to Europe. However, according to a blog by Abid Amiri in Diplomatic Courier, an Iranian trade route would be very cost effective vs. other transit routes for the landlocked Afghanistan.
Separately, India, Iran and Afghanistan have a pact in place to establish a Transit and Transport Corridor among the three countries using Iran's Chabahar Port. In December, a suicide attacker targeted a police post in Chabahar.
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