BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 23. Depending on demand, cargo flow via the North-South International Transport Corridor (ITC) may eventually reach 60–100 million tons, head of the Russian Transport Ministry Vitaly Saveliev said, Trend reports.
Meanwhile, on April 22, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin met with veteran BAM builders and workers, during which Putin mentioned the development of the North-South ITC and invited all interested states to participate in the project.
"Today, this ITC can move seven to fifteen million tons of goods each year via various portions. If necessary and in demand, its throughput capacity can be gradually expanded to 60–100 million tons," Saveliev noted.
According to him, the phases can range from 15 to 30 million tons per year, then 30 to 60 million tons per year, depending on demand.
"So far, we have strong expectations, and we believe that this corridor will be one of the important ones in global trade.," Saveliev added.
The North-South ITC has been developed since 2000. Its participants come from 14 countries.
Due to international sanctions, Russia is currently interested in making the ITC fully functional and operational and is discussing several issues with Azerbaijan (modernization of the Azerbaijani railroad), Iran (construction of the Resht-Astara section), Kazakhstan (modernization of infrastructure), and Central Asian countries.
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