TEHRAN, Iran, Oct. 26
Trend:
The Secretary of High Council for Free Trade-Industrial and Special Economic Zones of Iran, Saeed Mohammad announced the readiness of the Russian government to launch the North-South Corridor in order to connect to Indian and South Asian markets, Trend reports citing IRNA.
Saeed Mohammad made remarks during his visit to the construction route connecting the Rasht national railway to the Caspian port of the Anzali free zone.
He emphasized the cooperation of the two sides in accelerating the process of launching the North-South corridor.
“34-kilometer Rasht-Anzali Railroad is one of the most important priorities of the country,” said Saeed Mohammad.
He went on to say that the southern route of the North-South corridor, the Chabahar-Zahedan railway will be completed soon.
“Bandar Abbas Port railway connection to the north of the country is also being operated,” he said.
On September 29, a joint meeting to activate the North-South International Corridor focusing on the Iran-Russia Free Zones was held in Tehran with the presence of Saeed Mohammad, Secretary of the Supreme Council of Free and Special Economic Zones of Iran and a group of Russian government economic managers.
The meeting was held to present solutions and proposals of the Iranian and Russian sides to accelerate the launch of the North-South International Corridor and attract investment and develop the Caspian port as soon as possible.
Connecting the Caspian port to the North-South Corridor is expected to boost business transactions between Iran and its northern neighbors especially in the Eurasian Union.
Located on the southern shores of the Caspian Sea, the Anzali Free Trade Zone, in which the Caspian port lies, is regarded as one of the major economic hubs of Iran with an area of 9,400 hectares of land and a 40 km shoreline.
Once the project is complete, the Caspian port will become the largest hub in northern Iran and make a major contribution to national and local economic development. The route will connect Iran with Russia’s Baltic ports and give Russia rail connectivity to both the Persian Gulf and the Indian rail network. All the mentioned projects are meant to contribute to achieving INSTC’s envisaged plans.