Iran, Russia aim to increase transit via North-South Corridor

EghtesadOnline: Ebrahim Rezaei announced on Tuesday that the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament held a meeting attended by Kazem Jalali, Iran's ambassador to Russia, and Mojtaba Demirchiloo, the assistant to the Iranian foreign minister and director general of the Foreign Ministry's Eurasia Department, along with several experts.

In the meeting, Jalali presented a report on the bilateral relations between Iran and Russia, along with an update on the current status of their agreements, according to the spokesman for the Parliament’s Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy.

Jalali highlighted the cultural and civilizational commonalities between the two countries and emphasized the significant potential for collaboration in this area.

Iran's ambassador to Russia highlighted several obstacles hindering the development of relations between Iran and Russia. These include issues related to recognition, transit, customs, logistics, and monetary and banking matters.

Additionally, he discussed transit between the two countries, specifically mentioning the North-South Corridor and its various routes.

The route connecting Russia to Iran through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan was initiated during the previous government and in 2023, this route handled 650,000 tons of goods, and this year, it is expected to increase to two million tons, Jalali was quoted as saying by the spokesman for the Parliament’s Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy.

The Iranian ambassador to Russia also emphasized the importance of establishing the Rasht-Astara railway.

Furthermore, the latest developments in the Caucasus were discussed during the meeting, Rezaei highlighted. / Mehr