DUSHANBE, 24.05.2025 (NIAT Khovar) – Tajikistan plans to establish a national logistics center at Iran’s Chabahar Port, including the construction of terminals and warehouses with the participation of Tajik entrepreneurs. The initiative was announced during the 17th session of the Joint Commission on Economic, Trade, and Scientific-Technical Cooperation between Tajikistan and Iran, held on May 5–6 in Shiraz.

As part of the session, a delegation from the Ministry of Transport of Tajikistan visited the Chabahar Port complex in southeastern Iran, located on the northern coast of the Oman Sea and the Indian Ocean.

The Tajik delegation held meetings with Iran’s Deputy Minister of Transport and Urban Development, Said Rasouli, and the leadership of the Chabahar Free Economic Zone (FEZ) and Port Authority.

The Tajik side was introduced to the port’s capabilities, including its 450-hectare area and 10 active berths capable of receiving vessels with up to 50,000 tons of cargo. It was noted that major infrastructure projects are currently being implemented at the site, including construction of a power plant, railway, storage terminals, and the expansion of port capacity — all of which enhance the strategic importance of Chabahar among global maritime hubs.

The two sides agreed that by mid-2025, Tajikistan would submit a detailed proposal for the logistics center. Iran, in turn, committed to reviewing the project within one month and providing a draft cooperation agreement that includes investment terms and state-supported incentives.

The logistics center is expected to significantly boost Tajikistan’s trade potential by providing the landlocked country direct access to the Indian Ocean. It will serve as part of the China–Tajikistan–Uzbekistan–Turkmenistan–Iran–Türkiye–Europe international multimodal corridor, opening new avenues for trade with the Asia-Pacific, Gulf states, East Africa, and Oceania. This initiative follows a series of high-level agreements between the two countries. In May 2022, President Emomali Rahmon expressed Tajikistan’s interest in accessing Iranian sea ports, including Chabahar and Bandar Abbas. In November 2023, during President Ebrahim Raisi’s visit to Dushanbe, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed on international freight and transit cooperation via Chabahar. In January 2025, President Emomali Rahmon and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian oversaw the signing of a Cooperation Program between Tajikistan’s Ministry of Transport and Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization focused on expanding freight transit through the port.