Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 7
By Azad Hasanli – Trend:
Azerbaijan is interested in construction of a railway from Astara to Rasht station in Iran, Head of Azerbaijan Railways (ADY) Javid Gurbanov said Sept. 7.
He made the remarks in Odessa, Ukraine, at a meeting with Acting Chairman of Ukrainian Railways Evgeny Kravtsov.
“The South-West route is strategic and Azerbaijan is interested in construction of a railway section from Astara to Rasht station in Iran for its prospective development,” Gurbanov said.
Kravtsov, for his part, noted that Ukrainian Railways is ready to ensure favorable tariff conditions for cargo transportation on the South-West route, says a message from Ukrainian Railways.
The message also said the Ukrainian side is ready to resolve all technical issues to ensure the competitiveness of the route.
“I am ready to support the solution of the issue regarding the route’s offshore section at the government level,” Kravtsov said.
“A decision was taken in Ukraine to reduce port fees,” he noted, adding ferries should become an integral part of the South-West route.
The project for the South-West route’s development envisages container cargo transportation from India and Gulf countries through Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine and Poland to the EU and back.