Iran's Ambassador on the Importance of the Rasht-Astara Railway

The completion and launch of the Rasht-Astara opens the way for expansion of trade ties in the region, - said the Iranian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Javad Jahangirzadeh during a joint meeting of representatives of the public and private sectors of the province of Gilan in the north of Iran.

Recalling the recommendations of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on accelerating the implementation of the project, the Ambassador noted that the railway and its use are like a "giant oil well".

Jahangirzadeh said that in addition to the export of agricultural products and other cargoes, the railway can serve the creation of new jobs.

He also noted that the annual trade turnover between Iran and Azerbaijan currently exceeds $500 million, and the volume of oil mutual trade is about $350 million per year.

The Rasht-Astara railway is part of the North-South transport corridor, which is designed to connect Northern Europe with South-East Asia, including the unification of the railways of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia. At the first stage, along the corridor, it is planned to transport five million tons of cargo per year, and later more than 10 million tons of cargo.

The Kazvin-Rasht-Astara (Iran) -Astara (Azerbaijan) railroad is part of the North-South transport corridor that will connect Northern Europe with South-East Asia, including by combining the railways of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia.

At the first stage, it is planned to transport six million tons of cargo per year along the "North-South" corridor, and later 15-20 million tons of cargo.

The cargo will pass through the territory of India and further through the Persian Gulf, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Russia towards the Scandinavian states and Northern Europe in just 14 days.

By Dimitri Dolaberidze