BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 8. Iran has expressed support for Turkmenistan joining the North-South International Transport Corridor, said Farzaneh Sadegh, Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development, Trend reports.
Speaking at a meeting on September 7 in Tehran with Turkmenistan’s Minister of Railway Transport, Mammet Akmammedov, Sadegh noted that Iran is actively working to facilitate Turkmenistan’s participation in the corridor.
The Iranian minister also voiced support for restoring the Ashgabat Agreement, originally signed in 2016 to establish a transport and transit corridor connecting Central Asia with the Persian Gulf through Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, India, Pakistan, and Oman. She emphasized that revitalizing this initiative falls under Turkmenistan’s authority.
Sadegh added that activating the railway corridor between China, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Iran is crucial for the region’s future.
“We additionally evaluate the revitalization of rail operations
within the framework of the Economic Cooperation Organization,
encompassing the initiation of train services linking Almaty,
Tashkent, Tehran, and Istanbul, as significantly impactful.” This
can catalyze the establishment of synergistic frameworks among
regional stakeholders,” she articulated.
During the convening, Akmammedov underscored the criticality of
enhancing synergies in transport, transit, and railway
collaboration between the two nations. He also indicated that
Turkmenistan is evaluating the expansion of aerial connectivity
with Iran and seeks to optimize cargo transit from Russia and
Belarus via the augmentation of railway infrastructure at
Incheburun.
To note, the intergovernmental agreement signed between Russia, Iran, and India on September 12, 2000, laid the foundation for the North-South Transport Corridor. In general, several countries have ratified the said agreement. (Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, India, Islamic Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Sultanate of Oman, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Ukraine). The purpose of establishing the corridor is to reduce the delivery time of cargo traveling from India to Russia, as well as to Northern and Western Europe (the delivery time along the existing route is more than six weeks; it is expected to be three weeks via North-South).
The Gazvin-Rasht railway, extending over a distance of 175
kilometers, commenced operations on March 6, 2019, establishing a
critical linkage between the rail infrastructure of Azerbaijan and
the Iranian railway system within the designated corridor. The
Rasht-Astara rail corridor is poised for development within the
territorial confines of Iran.
The North-South Corridor encompasses three distinct vectors within
the Iranian geopolitical landscape. The eastern vector encompasses
Turkmenistan and the Central Asian republics; the central axis
aligns with Russia and adjacent territories across the Caspian Sea;
while the western trajectory includes Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia,
and various Eastern European nations.
Russia and Iran signed an agreement on May 17, 2023, to build the Rasht-Astara railroad in Gilan province in northern Iran. Nine stations will be built on the Rasht-Astara railroad line, which is about 163 kilometers long. With the completion of this railroad, the North-South international corridor will be improved, and Iran's railroad network will be integrated with the Caucasus countries, Russia, and Northern European countries. According to the agreement, the Russian side is expected to spend 1.6 billion euros for the construction of this railroad. This railroad will be built and completed within 48 months.
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