Details added (first version posted on 15:07)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 30
By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend:
Iran intends to import grain from Ukraine through Georgia and Azerbaijan, sending oil products in return, chairman of Azerbaijani Railways CJSC Javid Gurbanov told reporters Dec.30.
He said that the Iranian side has undertaken the construction of the missing two-kilometer section of the railway till the port of Amirabad on the Caspian Sea.
"Together with the Iranian and Georgian sides, we agreed to coordinate efforts for the construction of railway track of two standards (1520 millimeters and 1435 millimeters) that will allow us to transport cargo from the port of Amirabad to Baku international port not only by sea but also by rail," Gurbanov said.
He went on to add that Ukraine is extremely interested in the development of cargo transportation with Iran.
Gurbanov noted that Iran purchases grain from Kazakhstan and Ukraine, and intends to purchase 2-3 million tons of grain per year from Ukrainian ports of Odessa and Ilyichevsk by delivering it through Georgia and Azerbaijan using both the North-South corridor and the Caspian Sea.
"It is planned to supply fuel oil, bitumen and other oil products in return," he said.
The North-South railway will link Northern Europe with South-Eastern Asia. It will serve as a link between the railways of Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia. At the initial stage, it is planned to transport 6 million tons of cargo via the North-South corridor per year, while 15-20 million tons of cargo in the future.
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