The official representative of Iran said that Arab countries neighboring Iran have expressed their desire to cooperate in the creation of a north-south corridor (linking Russia and Eurasian countries in the Persian Gulf region).
This was announced by the head of the department of Central Asia, the Caucasus and Russia of the Trade Development Organization in Iran, Rahmatulla Khormali, during a meeting held the other day in Russian Kazan.
The official indicated that the corridor would make Iran a transit station in the Gulf region and said, “Given the large size of this project, it is expected that the completion of this corridor will take about 3 years.”
Khurmali also touched upon the project of a railway connection between the Iranian cities of Rasht and Astara within the north-south corridor, noting that the presidents of Russia and Iran agreed to jointly finance the construction of this railway, which will inevitably increase the transit of goods from Russia to the countries of the Persian Gulf and other countries of the East.
Earlier this month, Moscow and Tehran signed an agreement to build a 162-kilometer railway between the port of Astara and the city of Rasht in Iran, a move that is a continuation of the North-South strategic transport project.
The shipping corridor “North-South” is a multimodal route with a length of 7.2 thousand km from St. Petersburg to the port of Mumbai in India, passing through the territory of Iran.
The corridor is considered an alternative maritime shipping route connecting Europe, the Gulf countries and the Indian Ocean through the Suez Canal, and includes “north-south” 3 international shipping routes: through the Caspian Sea (using railways and ports) and two land routes, western and eastern.
Source: RT+ Knight
