FNA- Participants of a tripartite meeting between Iranian, Afghan and Indian officials stressed the importance of Iran's Chabahar port for broadening of trade relations.

The meeting was attended by Head of the Iranian Foreign Ministry's Educational and International Research Center Mohammad Kazem Sajjadpour, Head of Afghan Strategic Studies Center Davood Moradian and Head of the Indian Defense Ministry's Defense Studies Center Jayant Perasad.

The participants said studies should be conducted to make the optimum use of Chabahar port.

"The meetings can bring the researchers of the three countries closer to each other and leave positive impact on the expansion of trilateral relations," Sajjadpour said.

Just some 72 km West of China-developed Gwadar port in Pakistan�s restive province of Baluchistan, Chabahar, on the mouth of the Straits of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, provides India a land-sea access route into Afghanistan and Central Asia through the Bandar Abbas-Caspian Sea axis.

Several foreign countries are willing to make huge investments in economic and infrastructure projects of Chabahar Port following the July 14 agreement between Tehran and six world powers but Iran is scrutinizing the offers to select the most qualified ones as its future partners.