BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 23. An implementation agreement is expected to be signed within the next two months on the Rasht-Astara railway project, which is part of the North-South transport corridor, the Ambassador of Iran to Azerbaijan, Mojtaba Demirchilou, said in an exclusive interview with Trend.
During the interview, he discussed the collaborative efforts
between Iran and Azerbaijan across economic, political, and
cultural domains, along with topics of shared interest.
Demirchilou highlighted the promotion of new initiatives in
communication and transport within the region.
"Iran has always stated its support for all regional economic projects because it believes that these projects can be beneficial for countries, especially in terms of economic development, peace, and stability, and can yield positive results. At the same time, geopolitical goals should not be brought to the agenda by other countries under the guise of economic projects. The intervention of forces outside the region has created difficulties in practice, and in such cases, these forces primarily take into account their own interests. From this perspective, economic projects implemented in the region should be beneficial for countries and shouldn't serve other purposes," he explained.
The ambassador noted that the increase in economic projects in the region has a positive impact on the overall well-being. According to him, the implementation of transport and communication projects can yield positive results for the region, and Iran supports such initiatives.
He recalled that currently, Nakhchivan is connected to Azerbaijan solely by air and transit connections through Iran, and the country is trying to continue facilitating these connections through its territory.
The ambassador also mentioned the benefits of the North-South transport corridor for the region.
"This corridor is one of the projects of great importance and is beneficial for the entire region. Iran is interested in the effective use of this project. The North-South transport corridor has three branches, one of which passes through the territory of Azerbaijan. Work is also ongoing in the railway sector. The Azerbaijani railway line was connected to Iran at the Astara border, and this line was used last year," Demirchilou said.
He added that work is underway to build the Astara-Rasht railway line.
"A little over 30 kilometers from Rasht to Anzali has already been built. Work is ongoing on the construction of the remaining section from Anzali to Astara. Iranian and Russian companies are working together in this direction. This issue was also discussed at the meeting of the joint economic commission held in Tehran in recent months, and it was decided that an implementation agreement on the project would be signed within the next two months. Research work has already begun, and the process hopefully will continue rapidly, and the entire region will benefit from it," he pointed out.
At the same time, Demirchilou noted that relations between Iran and Azerbaijan are expanding day by day on the political level. According to him, Iranian-Azerbaijani relations have made significant progress after the visit of President Masoud Pezeshkian to Baku and Khankendi.
"These relations are expanding in a positive direction day by day. Especially in the economic sphere, in the direction of transport and transit, within the framework of trade and joint economic projects, cooperation is continuing successfully, and positive results have already been achieved. Besides, consultations are being held at various levels in the political sphere. In the direction of culture, mutual visits of the deputy ministers of culture of both countries have taken place, and it has been agreed that mutual cultural days will be held in both Iran and Azerbaijan in the coming months," he said.
The ambassador added that a meeting of the Azerbaijan-Iran Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation will be held in Baku in the coming days. This commission covers not only economic relations but also the humanitarian sphere. According to him, new achievements are expected to be achieved at the next meeting.
Moreover, the ambassador noted that Azerbaijan has sent an invitation to Iran to participate in the 13th session of the UN World Urban Forum (WUF) to be held in Baku.
"The invitation has been submitted to the Iranian Presidential Administration, and the response will be given after its consideration. Experience shows that the parties strive to participate at a high level in international forums and events held both in Iran and Azerbaijan. We are currently awaiting a response from Iran to the invitation sent by Azerbaijan," he concluded.
The International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) spans an impressive 7,200 kilometers, featuring a dynamic multimodal network of sea, rail, and road routes that seamlessly links India, Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, and Central Asia. Experience a revolutionary shift in logistics with a solution that dramatically cuts transportation time and costs. This route provides a 30-40% faster and more economical alternative to the Suez Canal, connecting Mumbai to Moscow and Europe in just 20-25 days.
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