BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 18
By Elnur Baghishov - Trend
Work on the Iranian part of the North-South Corridor on the basis of the railway project is in full swing, Iran’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan Javad Jahangirzadeh told Trend.
According to Jahangirzadeh, with the commissioning of this railway, many international railways can be connected to it.
The ambassador added that the project commissioning can increase cargo transshipment and facilitate passenger transportation.
"Iran and Azerbaijan have great potential in the transport sector, especially in the railway sector," he said.
The ambassador said that bilateral economic relations between Azerbaijan and Iran have developed on an upward trajectory in recent years. The trade turnover between the two countries is less than $1 billion. However, the potential of economic and trade exchanges is much higher.
"We hope that economic relations between the two countries will further develop with the implementation of the planned projects. A number of effective steps were taken last Iranian year and with the completion of construction work on the Astara railway terminal in Iran's Gilan province, the terminal will be fully operational," Jahangirzadeh said.
The ambassador added that products are exported to Azerbaijan and other countries in the region through the Bilasuvar and Astara border customs between Iran and Azerbaijan. These two border customs have become important transit routes. Even when the borders were closed due to the spread of the coronavirus, trade via these border customs did not stop.
According to Jahangirzadeh, unfortunately, current Iranian year (began from March 20, 2020) did not start successfully. A number of delegations visits and direct talks between the two sides were not possible. However, efforts are being made to ensure that this situation does not hinder joint implementation of the planned projects.
"We hope that there will be an opportunity to hold a meeting of the joint economic and trade commission, which plays an important role in coordinating the cooperation program of the two countries," the ambassador said.
Jahangirzadeh added that very important projects are being implemented to deepen relations between Azerbaijan and Iran. One of these projects is the establishment of a joint industrial park in Iran's Ardabil province. Preliminary discussions on this project are ongoing.
"Several months ago, during the visit of the Governor of Iran’s Ardabil province Akbar Behnamju to Baku, discussions were held about the industrial park. An agreement was reached on the establishment of a working group representing both sides and on conducting preliminary studies for the implementation of this project," he said.