Iranian roads minister, Qatari PM meet to expand transport ties
Iran and Qatar expressed agreement to develop their freight and transit infrastructure within the framework of the North-South International Transport Corridor.
The matter was the central topic of discussion during a meeting on Tuesday in Doha between Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development Farzaneh Sadegh and Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
The Ministry of Roads and Urban Development of Iran reported that the meeting focused on the signing of an international transport agreement between the two countries, increasing freight cooperation between Iran’s Bushehr port and Qatari ports, and the creation of new cargo and passenger ferry routes.
During this meeting, discussions were held on the development of Dayyer Port, enhancing transport cooperation between Bushehr Port and Qatari ports, establishing new cargo and passenger shipping lines, signing an international road transport agreement between the two countries, and collaborating on the construction and development of transport and transit infrastructure under the North-South, Ashgabat, and Turkey-Iran-Qatar corridors, as reported by IRNA.
Other key topics included bilateral cooperation in air transport and other matters of mutual interest. The foundation of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) was laid on the basis of an intergovernmental agreement signed between Russia, Iran, and India on September 12, 2000.
In total, 13 countries have ratified the agreement, including Azerbaijan, India, Iran, Russia, Turkey, etc. The aim of setting up the corridor is to cut down the delivery time of cargo from India to Russia, along with Northern and Western Europe. The delivery time on the current route is at over six weeks; however, it is anticipated to be trimmed down to three weeks through the International North-South Transport Corridor.