Tehran, Iran, March 7
Trend:
Iran's Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development Abbas Khatibi has announced that Iran is looking forward to finance the Rasht-Astara railway project, execute and finish the final part of the North-South Corridor.
"The Caspian Memorandum was in line with the law that we had, and already negotiated with the authorities of the Anzali Free Zones and the Caspian port," Khatibi told Trend, referring to the two MoUs signed on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the Qazvin-Rasht railway.
Two Memorandum of Understanding on the construction of the Rasht -Astara railway between Iran's Construction and Development of Transportation Infrastructures Company (CDTIC) and Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters, as well as a memorandum on the construction of the Rasht-Anzali railway line between the CDTIC and Anzali Free Zone, have been signed.
The Qazvin-Rasht railway was launched on Wednesday evening with the presence of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Pointing to the role of Azerbaijan in implementation of the Rasht-Astara railway project, Khatibi said that Iran is still in talks with Azerbaijan on the project.
Meanwhile, speaking with Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of Rasht-Qazvin railway, Azerbaijan's Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev said that Iran-Azerbaijan cooperation is in the framework of agreements between the two countries.
“The long-term wish of the peoples of the region was fulfilled by completing the Rasht-Astara railroad,” he said.
Khatibi told Trend that shortly, the talks on Rasht-Astara project would be finalized and officially announced.
He expressed hope that the project will soon be finalized, adding that certain steps have been taken already, but some aspects are still to be fleshed out.