BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 19. Iran attaches special importance to the activation of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INTC) for cargo transportation, Deputy Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade and Head of Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPOI), Alireza Peymanpak told Trend.
The deputy minister said that in this regard, there are currently weekly meetings being held in the country with the participation of representatives of the relevant Iranian authorities.
Peymanpak also added that within the corridor, cargo transportation has already started through the seaway. In this regard, an agreement has already been reached with Russia on the establishment of shipping lines in the Caspian Sea. According to the agreement, 12 ships will be added to the shipping line.
“In particular, work is underway to activate cargo transportation through railways within this corridor. In this direction, railway lines should be built in several parts of Iran. Countries around the Persian Gulf and members states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) have announced their readiness to invest in the construction of Iranian railways,” he noted.
The chairman also pointed out that during his visit to Russia, certain discussions were carried out with the Russian side on the construction of the Rasht-Astara railway line.
“Thus, the Russian side has put forward a proposal on the construction of the railway line. The Iranian Ministry of Roads and Urban Development is currently researching the proposal. It is expected that there will be no problems with this proposal," Peymanpak said.
The foundation of the ‘International North-South Transport Corridor’ was laid on the basis of an intergovernmental agreement signed between Russia, Iran, and India on September 12, 2000.
In total, 13 countries have ratified the agreement, including Azerbaijan, India, Iran, Russia, Turkey, etc.
The purpose of creating a corridor is to reduce the delivery time of cargo from India to Russia, as well as to North and West Europe. Delivery time on the current route is more than 6 weeks, it is expected to be reduced to 3 weeks via North-South Transport Corridor.
The 175 km long Qazvin-Rasht railway was officially put into operation on March 6, 2019, to connect Azerbaijani railways with the Iranian railway network within the corridor. In addition, the 167 km long Rasht-Astara railway line must be built in Iran.
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