Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 9
By Kamila Aliyeva – Trend:
China's One Belt – One Road (OBOR) is currently in the frame phase while the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is a reality, Deepak Agrawal, Indian geopolitical strategic analyst, told Trend.
“A dry run was conducted a few months ago between India, Iran and Russia to check the viability of the INSTC project,” he said.
The expert noted that the results seem to be positive.
“In contrast with the current route running through the Suez Canal and Mediterranean Sea, the costs could be reduced by about 30-40 percent. Moreover, transportation of goods will take much less time,” he added.
Agrawal underlined that other projects connected to INSTC directly or indirectly are also in motion.
“I am not sure about how China's OBOR project will impact INSTC, compete with it or complement it,” he said.
The expert stressed that these two major projects require lots of funding at the same time, although OBOR is in the frame phase, while INSTC is a reality.
The International North-South Transport Corridor is meant to connect Northern Europe with Southeast Asia. It will serve as a link connecting the railways of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia.
The corridor is planned to transport 6 million tons of cargo per year at the initial stage and 15-20 million tons of cargo in the future.