BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 4
By Elnur Baghishov - Trend:
By the end of the current Iranian year (March 21, 2020), Iran and Azerbaijan are expected to reach final agreement on the establishment of a joint industrial park in Iran's Ardabil province, located in the country's northwest, Governor of Ardabil province Akbar Behnamju said at the event on the laying of Ardabil-Miyaneh railway, Trend reports citing Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
Along with this, a railway terminal will be built to develop economic relations between the two countries, Behnamju said.
Currently, the weight of Ardabil's exports and imports is around 250,000 tons per year, the governor said, adding that this figure will exceed 3.2 million tons upon the establishment of a terminal in Ardabil's Parsabad county.
Iran's railways will be connected to Azerbaijan's rail network upon the construction of a 14 kilometers long railroad in Ardabil province, the governor said.
According to him, initial agreement between Iran and Azerbaijan to create a joint industrial park in the Parsabad county was reached in 2019. The matter was discussed between Iran's Industry, Mining and Trade Minister Reza Rahmani and Azerbaijan's Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev during his visit to Iran last year.
The construction of the Ardabil-Miyaneh railway with length of about 175 kilometers was launched in 2005. As reported, 62 tunnels with total length of 23.8 kilometers, a 4-kilometer bridge over a gorge and a 3-kilometer bridge over a water body will be constructed as part of the railway project. As of Feb. 4, 90 kilometers of the railroad have been laid. The Ardabil-Miyaneh railway is expected to be commissioned by March 21, 2022.