Chabahar and Its Impacts on Regional Convergence

Abstract

Unfortunately, during the last half century our country has been confronted with political and security problems and has caused Afghanistan to lack a good standing in the region. Insecurity, political problems, and existence of terrorist groups present a black image of Afghanistan to the international community, but with the overthrow of the Taliban regime and the influx of billions of dollars in aid from the international community to Afghanistan; and the formation of interim and transitional governments, Hamid Karzai's presidency, and especially the period of National Unity Government (NUG), with major projects such as Selma Dam, CASA1000, the Lajward Road (also called Lapis Lazuli Route), the Chabahar Port, this black-painted image of Afghanistan from before the interim period has fortunately turned into a beautiful and remarkable image to the international community. As a result of such large projects, the Afghan government has shown very well to neighboring countries that Afghanistan is not just a consumer state and a monopoly of one or two neighboring countries; in addition, the Afghan government has made it clear that there are many ways for the country to go, through which it can facilitate international trade with very low cost. The Chabahar Port showed that our beloved Afghanistan can act in the same way as other countries in the field of development and contribute to paving the way for comprehensive development. In conclusion, it can be claimed that the Chabahar Port is a much safer and cost-efficient route for trade in the country, and the Afghan government can open up numerous opportunities such as the Chabahar Port by providing overall security and having an effective economic plan.