Chabahar only bridge between Indian Ocean countries, Central Asia

'The approach in Chabahar Free Trade-Industrial Zone has turned from trade to production, and tens of manufacturing units in the region play a key role in employment and production,' Director General of Chabahar Free Trade-Industrial Zone Abdolrahim Kordi said in a meeting on Tuesday night.

The region is also a strategic point for various heavy and light industries, and a hub for transit of goods and tourism, he added.

Chabahar is Iran's only oceanic port, and that is why the regional center of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) is being established in the area, Kordi said.

The opportunity of using Afghanistan and Central Asian countries' markets, plus feasibility of creating bunkering centers are among the capacities of Chabahar Free Trade-Industrial Zone, according to the official.

Following a bill by Iran's Parliament the Free Trade-Industrial Zone was established in 1994 in an area of 14 hectares in southeastern Iran on Gulf of Oman. The region is bordered by Pakistan to the east.

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