Putin Discusses Railroad Construction Agreement Between Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan

The President of Russia participated via video conference in the signing ceremony of the Rasht-Astara railroad construction agreement alongside Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

“We hope that with the participation of the Azerbaijani side, the preparation of the agreement on cooperation regarding the development of the railway infrastructure and freight transportation along the North-South route will be completed quickly,” Putin stated.

He added that this would form the necessary legal basis for further successful coordination among the three countries.

The Rasht-Astara railway is part of the North-South International Transport Corridor, a multimodal route stretching 7,200 km from St. Petersburg to Mumbai Port (India). It serves as an alternative to the maritime route through the Suez Canal that connects Europe to the countries of the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean.

Iran signed the agreement on the construction of the Rasht-Astara railway project back in 2005, but active construction began in 2018.