Azerbaijan and Iran to Discuss Prospects for Improving Transport Corridor North-South

The process of creating the infrastructure of the transport corridor North-South is again on the agenda of the governments of Azerbaijan and Iran. Next week the government delegations of the two countries will hold a business meeting on the construction of cross-border rail communications.

According to the Ministry of Economy and Industry, the meeting with the participation of experts and interested agencies of the two countries will take place on 9-10 October in Lankaran and Astara, Azerbaijan and Iran. The segment of Astara (Azerbaijan) - Astara (Iran) will be examined.

The State Commission on economic, trade and humanitarian spheres between Azerbaijan and Iran last met in Tehran on August 3-4 this year. The sides reached an agreement on the improvement of the international transport corridor North-South, which connects Russia and Iran via Azerbaijan.

A few years ago the railway authorities of the three countries actually agreed on the mechanism of resolving the issues of funding and construction of several sections of the railway line, which will connect the railways of Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran in the territory of the latter two countries. Later, however, for publicly unknown reasons, the process has been suspended. ----08D