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Minister highlights goal of 10m-ton goods transit via INSTC
Sadeq-Malvajerd highlighted the corridor’s capacity to handle 20 million tons of transit across rail, road, and maritime routes, which must be fully utilized, IRNA reported.
During Saturday’s video conference, the Iranian minister expressed satisfaction with the regular discussions on the construction of the Rasht-Astara railway involving representatives from both countries.
She referred to a draft memorandum of cooperation and a roadmap for 2025, which were presented to the Russian side, proposing that both documents be signed simultaneously on an agreed date.
The minister underlined the importance of enhancing transport collaboration within the INSTC framework, noting that based on previous agreements between the two nations, the goal of 10 million tons of transit should be achieved.
Sadeq-Malvajerd also advocated for prompt actions to operationalize the corridor’s eastern branch, the establishment of a trilateral transportation and customs committee among Iran, Russia, and Azerbaijan, the facilitation of visa issuance for Iranian drivers, expanding commercial shipping capacity, and developing passenger routes in the Caspian Sea.
She called the development of a comprehensive transportation roadmap between Iran and Russia a significant achievement under consideration by both countries’ ministries.
Extending New Year greetings to the Russian government and people, Sadeq-Malvajerd expressed hope for a year marked by peace and strengthened bilateral relations.
In response, Russian minister thanked his Iranian counterpart for the productive meetings and expressed agreement with all proposals made during the session.
16.5m-ton transit in nine months
Meanwhile, the head of Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration announced on the same day that foreign transit through the country increased by 31% over the first nine months of the current Iranian year (started March 20, 2024), reaching 16.5 million tons.
Foroud Asgari said that Shahid Rajaee, Parviz Khan, and Bashmaq customs terminals were the top transit hubs, collectively accounting for the highest volume of transited goods during the nine-month period.
According to Asgari, 4.4 million tons of goods were transited from Shahid Rajaee Special Economic Zone, 3.8 million tons from Parviz Khan Customs, and 2.3 million tons from Bashmaq Customs.
In total, 10.5 million tons of foreign transit during this period originated from these three major customs points.