Rasht-Astara railway construction deal to be inked soon: Envoy
Iran’s ambassador to Russia said on Monday that the Rasht-Astara railway route would not change as the ultimate expense has been determined, adding that the final agreement would be signed soon as the Iranian side is ready to finalize the project.
Talking to ILNA, Kazem Jalali also stated that Iran must accelerate its own efforts to increase its share of transit revenues with greater presence in trade routes. “The world will not wait for our inactive presence in trade routes, so we must strive to speed up our measures.”
“President Masoud Pezeshkian and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had agreements regarding this project during Pezeshkian’s recent visit to Kazan,” the envoy said, adding that the Iranian president is earnestly following up on the signing of the deal.
Russia is fully interested in the Rasht-Astara railway project, Jalali stressed, noting that with the formation of the new government in Iran, the implementation of the projects will gain momentum.
The Iranian ambassador emphasized that Russians will also invest in Iran’s energy projects, adding, “Russia is negotiating with Iran on the gas swap, and the talks are underway. Most of the negotiations have been finalized, and some minor issues have been raised that will be resolved in the near future.”
About the amount of Russian investment in the Iranian energy sector, we do not yet have an accurate estimate, but the project is to establish a gas pipeline from Russia through Azerbaijan to Iran, Jalali concluded.
Iran and Russia see the 162 km Rasht-Astara railway as an important link in the International North-South Transport Corridor.
In addition to the Rasht-Astara railway line, Russia is interested in investing in the construction of a railway with a Russian gauge from Parsabad to Bandar Abbas, Jalali said at a meeting with Pezeshkian on Saturday.
At the meeting, Pezeshkian stressed that the development of railway infrastructure from north to south will bring significant benefits to both the country’s economy and its citizens, and will also meet the needs of Iran and Russia.
The Iranian president instructed to speed up the implementation of the Rasht-Astara line project.