BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 6. If Iran manages to bring its transport infrastructure to the required levels, the transit among the Islamic Republic, Azerbaijan, Russia may significantly increase, Iranian Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development of Shahriar Afandizadeh said, Trend reports citing IRNA.
According to Afandizadeh, Iran has transport links with the countries in the Caucasus through Azerbaijan and Russia, and other CIS countries through Turkmenistan.
"In this regard, the 2nd Caspian Economic Forum in Moscow can help the development of transit ties among the Caspian littoral states," he said.
As of October 5, 2022, the 2nd Caspian Economic Forum is being held in Moscow, the capital of Russia, with the participation of high-level officials of the Caspian littoral states.
“The 2nd Caspian Economic Forum put on the agenda the increase transit of goods among the Caspian littoral states to 50 million tons per year by 2030. The transit will be carried out by all means - road, rail, sea and air. It will be possible to deliver the goods to the destination on time by creating a green corridor, to eliminate barriers at the borders and reduce transit time,” he said.
The deputy minister noted that the only part within the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) in Iran that lacks a railway is the Rasht-Astara part.
"The Iranian government has started taking the necessary steps for the purchase of land related to construction of the mentioned railway line. The Russian side will also cooperate in the construction of the railway line," he 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, Türkiye, 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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