BAKU, Azerbaijan, Apr. 13
By Elnur Baghishov – Trend:
Russia and Iran attach great importance to the North-South Corridor, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told IRNA, Trend reports.
According to Lavrov, sustainable economic and trade cooperation is largely dependent on developed logistics. The North-South Corridor is also a positive example of multilateral cooperation.
The FM added that this corridor is one of the major infrastructures in the region and helps to increase mutually beneficial cooperation between the countries.
"Iran and Russia have a major role in this corridor. Because a large part of this corridor is located in the territories of the two countries. In this regard, the creation of modern transport infrastructure is of great importance," he said.
Lavrov noted in this regard, Russia has approved and is implementing the necessary programs related to the Caspian Sea at the state level. Official Tehran also pays great attention to this issue.
The FM stressed that therefore, we expect our Iranian partners to successfully complete the railway projects in the direction to the Caspian port of Iran (Anzali special economic zone), as well as with Azerbaijan.
Reportedly, Iran plans to build railway lines in two directions within the North-South Corridor. The first direction covers the area from the ports in the south of Iran to the ports in the Caspian Sea (Iran's Anzali and Caspian ports), and the second direction covers the area from Rasht to Astara.
The length of Iran's Rasht-Caspian railway line is 35 kilometers. The railway line is estimated to be launched in Iran in the current Iranian year (from March 21, 2021, through March 20, 2022).
The length of Iran's Rasht-Astara railway is 160 kilometers. It is estimated that at best, the Iranian side will complete the construction of this railway in the next 4 years.
At present, cargo transportation within the North-South Corridor is carried out through railways to Iran’s Astara County. After, cargo is transported by trucks from the Astara railway terminal to the Rasht railway terminal and other destinations. With the launch of the Rasht-Astara railway, cargo transportation through railways will be possible within the North-South Corridor.