BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 23. An
implementation agreement is expected to be signed within the next
two months on the Rasht-Astara railway project, which is part of
the North-South transport corridor, the Ambassador of Iran to
Azerbaijan, Mojtaba Demirchilou, said in an exclusive interview
with Trend.
During the interview, he discussed the collaborative efforts
between Iran and Azerbaijan across economic, political, and
cultural domains, along with topics of shared interest.
Demirchilou highlighted the promotion of new initiatives in
communication and transport within the region.
"Iran has always stated its support for all regional economic
projects because it believes that these projects can be beneficial
for countries, especially in terms of economic development, peace,
and stability, and can yield positive results. At the same time,
geopolitical goals should not be brought to the agenda by other
countries under the guise of economic projects. The intervention of
forces outside the region has created difficulties in practice, and
in such cases, these forces primarily take into account their own
interests. From this perspective, economic projects implemented in
the region should be beneficial for countries and shouldn't serve
other purposes," he explained.
The ambassador noted that the increase in economic projects in
the region has a positive impact on the overall well-being.
According to him, the implementation of transport and communication
projects can yield positive results for the region, and Iran
supports such initiatives.
He recalled that currently, Nakhchivan is connected to
Azerbaijan solely by air and transit connections through Iran, and
the country is trying to continue facilitating these connections
through its territory.
The ambassador also mentioned the benefits of the North-South
transport corridor for the region.
"This corridor is one of the projects of great importance and is
beneficial for the entire region. Iran is interested in the
effective use of this project. The North-South transport corridor
has three branches, one of which passes through the territory of
Azerbaijan. Work is also ongoing in the railway sector. The
Azerbaijani railway line was connected to Iran at the Astara
border, and this line was used last year," Demirchilou said.
He added that work is underway to build the Astara-Rasht railway
line.
"A little over 30 kilometers from Rasht to Anzali has already
been built. Work is ongoing on the construction of the remaining
section from Anzali to Astara. Iranian and Russian companies are
working together in this direction. This issue was also discussed
at the meeting of the joint economic commission held in Tehran in
recent months, and it was decided that an implementation agreement
on the project would be signed within the next two months. Research
work has already begun, and the process hopefully will continue
rapidly, and the entire region will benefit from it," he pointed
out.
At the same time, Demirchilou noted that relations between Iran
and Azerbaijan are expanding day by day on the political level.
According to him, Iranian-Azerbaijani relations have made
significant progress after the visit of President Masoud Pezeshkian
to Baku and Khankendi.
"These relations are expanding in a positive direction day by
day. Especially in the economic sphere, in the direction of
transport and transit, within the framework of trade and joint
economic projects, cooperation is continuing successfully, and
positive results have already been achieved. Besides, consultations
are being held at various levels in the political sphere. In the
direction of culture, mutual visits of the deputy ministers of
culture of both countries have taken place, and it has been agreed
that mutual cultural days will be held in both Iran and Azerbaijan
in the coming months," he said.
The ambassador added that a meeting of the Azerbaijan-Iran Joint
Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation will be held
in Baku in the coming days. This commission covers not only
economic relations but also the humanitarian sphere. According to
him, new achievements are expected to be achieved at the next
meeting.
Moreover, the ambassador noted that Azerbaijan has sent an
invitation to Iran to participate in the 13th session of the UN
World Urban Forum (WUF) to be held in Baku.
"The invitation has been submitted to the Iranian Presidential
Administration, and the response will be given after its
consideration. Experience shows that the parties strive to
participate at a high level in international forums and events held
both in Iran and Azerbaijan. We are currently awaiting a response
from Iran to the invitation sent by Azerbaijan," he concluded.
The International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) spans
an impressive 7,200 kilometers, featuring a dynamic multimodal
network of sea, rail, and road routes that seamlessly links India,
Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, and Central Asia. Experience a
revolutionary shift in logistics with a solution that dramatically
cuts transportation time and costs. This route provides a 30-40%
faster and more economical alternative to the Suez Canal,
connecting Mumbai to Moscow and Europe in just 20-25 days.
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