Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –
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Alexey Overchuk, along with Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Shahin Mustafayev (left) and Minister of Transport and Urban Development of the Islamic Republic of Iran Farzaneh Sadegh (right), at the Azerbaijani-Iranian border. Inspecting the infrastructure of international border crossing points.
Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexey Overchuk, together with Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Shahin Mustafayev and Minister of Transport and Urban Development of the Islamic Republic of Iran Farzaneh Sadegh, visited the Azerbaijani-Iranian border to inspect the infrastructure of international checkpoints operating and under construction to implement the plans of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Iran to develop the western route of the International North-South Transport Corridor.
The joint trip to the border was preceded by a trilateral meeting of representatives of the Russian Federation, the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the Islamic Republic of Iran, dedicated to issues of infrastructure cooperation and strengthening transport connectivity in the region, which took place on November 13 in the capital of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The parties are focusing on the construction of road, rail, and customs infrastructure and the elimination of route bottlenecks to increase the capacity of the new transport corridor.
After familiarizing themselves with the operation of checkpoints on the Azerbaijani and Iranian sides, Alexey Overchuk, Shahin Mustafayev, and Farzaneh Sadeg held a working meeting to develop joint solutions to ensure equal conditions for carriers crossing state borders.
As the Deputy Prime Minister noted, growing trade ties between the Russian Federation, the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the Islamic Republic of Iran necessitate joint efforts to strengthen transport links between the countries and create seamless logistics along the entire western route of the North-South International Transport Corridor.
In a conversation with journalists, Alexey Overchuk explained that the parties have a plan to increase the volume of cargo transported along the North-South International Transport Corridor to 15 million tons, and that this requires coordinated efforts by all three countries.
"In Iran, design and survey work is currently underway to prepare for the construction of a railway section between Astara and Rasht," the Deputy Prime Minister said.
Alexey Overchuk noted that the Iranian side briefed the participants on the progress of fulfilling its obligations under the Rasht-Astara line construction project, emphasizing that Iran is making progress in preparing for construction.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, road transport plays a vital role in the development of the North-South international transport corridor. "To ensure maximum convenience for drivers, carriers, exporters, and importers, the appropriate infrastructure must be created and operational," said Alexey Overchuk. He noted that these issues have been resolved at the Russian-Azerbaijani border, and checkpoints are functioning effectively, while the Republic of Azerbaijan has invested significant resources in building a modern road network within its borders.
Alexey Overchuk noted the high activity of Russian carriers: "Today, when we entered Iran, we saw that the vast majority of trucks queuing to enter Azerbaijan from Iran were Russian." He emphasized the close trade and economic ties between our countries and expressed confidence that they will expand.
The Deputy Prime Minister also told media representatives that, following negotiations in the Republic of Azerbaijan, the parties agreed to establish a coordination mechanism: "The countries will create a joint working group, headed by the deputy transport ministers and deputy heads of customs services of our countries, in order to promptly and thoroughly resolve all existing problems."
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