New Delhi, Aug. 27 -- The Chabahar Port remains an important component of India's efforts to strengthen connectivity with Central Asia, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday, underlining New Delhi's consistent position that the region should have reliable, secure and commercially viable access to India.

MEA Secretary (West) Sibi George made the remarks during a special briefing ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic while responding to a question on the prospects of connectivity between India and Central Asia amid recent developments in West Asia.

"Connectivity, you know, it's a very important aspect of our relationship with the region. We have a consistently held position that Ce...