Rasht-Astara Railway to Expand Regional Trade: Envoy
TEHRAN (Dispatches) - The ambassador of Iran to Azerbaijan Javad Jahangirzadeh said on Monday that the completion and launch of the Rasht-Astara railway opens the way for the expansion of trade relations in the region.
Addressing a joint meeting of representatives of the public and private sectors of the Gilan Province in northern Iran, Jahangirzadeh called for accelerating the implementation of the project, and added the railway and its use is like a "giant oil well".
The official said the railway can serve for creation of new jobs in addition to the export of agricultural products and other goods.
He also noted that the annual trade turnover between Iran and Azerbaijan currently exceeds $500 million, and the volume of oil trade in the total volume of bilateral trade is about $350 million.
The Rasht-Astara railway is part of the North-South transport corridor, which is designed to connect northern Europe with south-east Asia, and in particular to integrate the railways of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia. It is planned to transport five million tons of cargo per year along the corridor at the first stage, and more than 10 million tons of cargo in the future.
Addressing a joint meeting of representatives of the public and private sectors of the Gilan Province in northern Iran, Jahangirzadeh called for accelerating the implementation of the project, and added the railway and its use is like a "giant oil well".
The official said the railway can serve for creation of new jobs in addition to the export of agricultural products and other goods.
He also noted that the annual trade turnover between Iran and Azerbaijan currently exceeds $500 million, and the volume of oil trade in the total volume of bilateral trade is about $350 million.
The Rasht-Astara railway is part of the North-South transport corridor, which is designed to connect northern Europe with south-east Asia, and in particular to integrate the railways of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia. It is planned to transport five million tons of cargo per year along the corridor at the first stage, and more than 10 million tons of cargo in the future.