BAKU, Azerbaijan, Dec. 16
By Elnur Baghishov – Trend:
The North-South Corridor is of great importance in the development of transit relations between Azerbaijan and Iran, Former Iranian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Mohsen Pakayin told Trend.
He made the remark while commenting on the visit of the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister to Tehran.
According to Pakayin, the construction of the Rasht-Astara railway in northern Iran within the North-South Corridor is one of the most important issues.
“I think that the discussions will be held on the North-South corridor within the visit, and the discussions on the construction of the railway will be completed soon,” he said.
The ex-ambassador noted that the existing technical barriers must be eliminated in this regard.
Pakayin also added that $1 billion is needed for the construction of the Rasht-Astara railway. Half of these funds will be provided by Azerbaijan and another half by Iran.
The Rasht-Astara part of the railway line within the North-South Corridor has not been built. The length of the railway line is about 165 kilometers.