Role of INSTC & Enhancing Connectivity to Central Asia

In the year 2000, India, Iran, and Russia signed the INSTC agreement to establish a new transportation corridor. This corridor offers a direct route that connects the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea through Iran, extending all the way to St. Petersburg. Covering 7,200 kilometers, it combines shipping, rail, and road systems to make freight transport more efficient. The regions involved include India, Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia, and Europe. From St. Petersburg, to North Europe, is effortlessly accessible through, the Russian Federation. The vital objective of the corridor is primary to backing trade relations between, key cities such as Mumbai, Moscow, Tehran, Baku, Bandar Abbas, Astrakhan, and Bandar Anzali. The fulfillment of these objectives varies due to their intimate connection with the geopolitics of the complex regions and countries. These geopolitical dynamics, notably the evolving economic impact on Central Asia, play a crucial role. India's increasing emphasis on developing the International North-South Transport Corridor as part of its policy to link Iran with other Central Asian countries, by passing Pakistan, contrasts with China's efforts through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).