Heart of Asia Conference

The 6th Heart of Asia Ministerial Conference was held at Amritsar, Punjab, India from December 3-4, 2016. The Conference in Amritsar brought together 14 Eurasian countries, including India, China, Russia, Iran and Pakistan, and representatives of 17 supporting nations led by the US and the European Union. It reviewed their efforts to deal with the threats posed to regional peace and security by developments in Afghanistan.

Chabahara Port: A new Trade Route to Afghanistan

  • India has launched a new trade route to landlocked Afghanistan by sea through Iran’s strategic Chabahar port, a move that bypasses Pakistan and could have significant geopolitical ramifications in the region.
  • India shipped 1.1 million tons of wheat to Afghanistan from the western seaport of Kandla on October 29, 2017.
  • India, Afghanistan, and Iran decided in 2016 to establish the trade route, which would allow Indian goods to reach Central Asia.
  • India committed up to $500 million for the development of the Chabahar port, along with roads and rail lines.
  • The Chabahar port will rival the Gwadar port in Pakistan that is being currently developed by China, India’s regional rival. The two ports are less than 80 kilometers apart.

Past Co-Chairs of Heart of Asia

  • 2011: Turkey
  • 2012: Afghanistan
  • 2013: Kazakhstan
  • 2014: China
  • 2015: Pakistan

About Heart of Asia

  • The Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process was founded in November 2011 in Istanbul, Turkey, with the objective of creating a platform for bringing peace and stability in Afghanistan.
  • It consists of 15 participating countries, 16 supporting countries and 13 supporting regional and international organisations.
  • While Afghanistan is the permanent chair, the co-chair continues to change among the participating countries.

Why it is so named?

There are good reasons why the ‘Heart of Asia’ conference, is so named:

  • The obvious one is geographical, as Afghanistan lies at the junction of Central, South and East Asia, and also the ancient trading routes from China and India to Europe.
  • Today it is also a focal point for the region’s biggest challenge of terrorism; some of the far-reaching battles against al-Qaeda, Islamic State, etc. will be decided on the battlegrounds of Afghanistan.

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