ASTARA

A tripartite agreement between Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia will soon be signed for the construction of the Resht-Astara railway line within the North-South corridor.

This was stated by the Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Planning of Iran - Shahriar Efendizadeh at a press conference held on August 28, 2022 in Tehran.

The Azerbaijani government and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) which is a member of the World Bank (WB) group, signed a loan agreement worth $65 million on October 27, Trend reports citing the Azerbaijani Finance Ministry.

The document was signed by the Azerbaijani Finance Minister Samir Sharifov and WB Regional Manager for Azerbaijan Sarah Michael.

The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway corridor has the potential to reach the countries of the Asian-Pacific region through the ports of Russia's Far East region, Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC Javid Gurbanov said during the 30th plenary meeting of the International Coordination Council for Trans-Eurasian Transport, held online.

For centuries, Azerbaijan has been a center of transport and trade in the South Caucasus region due to its strategic geographic location. This beautiful country is in a favorable position at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, where the Eastern traditions meet Western values. 

The Islamic Republic of Iran and Azerbaijan will connect their highways and railways.

According to the “Azerbaijan Press Agency” (“Azəri Press Agentliyi” - APA), the Minister of Roads and Urban Development - Mohammad Eslami, stated this in an interview with journalists during his visit to Astara today.

According to the Iranian minister, an agreement has already been reached on connecting the two highways.