Tehran, Iran, December 23
By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:
Iran and the Caspian littoral states are planning to develop two transport corridors in the east and west sides of the Caspian Sea which will connect the littoral countries to the Europe, Iranian Road and Urban Development Minister Abbas Akhoundi said.
Speaking about Transport Corridor Europe Caucasus Asia (TRACECA), he said that during a recent meeting held in Tehran December 23 the applicants discussed the solutions for developing the corridor, removing the obstacles and attracting investment to develop transport systems, Trend correspondent reported Dec. 23 at a meeting in Tehran.
He added that Iran is planning to connect its roads and railways with international corridors. He said that Tehran can facilitate the transport of its neighboring countries as Iran enjoys from 25 road border crossings, five border crossings along its railway system, 10 international airports and 13 trade ports. He further called for investment in the projects for the development of the corridors. Tehran hosted the third meeting of transport ministers of the Caspian region on December 23 where an Azerbaijani delegation headed by Minister of Transport Ziya Mammadov took part in the meeting.
TRACECA is an international cooperation program in the field of transport between the EU and partner countries in Eastern Europe, South Caucasus and Central Asia. The organization has a permanent secretariat in Baku.
TRACECA member states are Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Moldova, Romania, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Iran.