The Islamic Republic of Iran and Russia signed an agreement on the construction of the Rasht-Astara railway in order to complete the North-South railway crossing that connects Southern Asia to Northern Europe.
This agreement was signed on Wednesday after the speech of Ayatollah Dr Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Vladimir Putin, the President of the Russian Federation, by the representatives of the two countries.
The North-South railway crossing is one of the main routes for the transit of goods from South Asia to Northern Europe, the construction of which has been on the agenda for more than two decades, and efforts have been made to activate this rail capacity with greater speed in the 13th Administration.
The western route of the North-South Corridor, which includes the countries of Russia, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan, had a missing link of 162 kilometres between Rasht and Astara, and through the signing of this agreement, Southern Asia will be connected to Northern Europe.
According to this agreement, the Russian Federation will invest €1.6 billion in this railway route. This strategic railway line is set to be completed in 48 months.
Earlier, the First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Andrey Belousov told reporters that construction of the Rasht-Astara railway section in Iran is scheduled to be completed in 2027.
He was speaking on the sidelines of the International Economic Forum Russia – the Islamic World: KazanForum 2023.
