Iran calls for Azerbaijan's commitment to implementation of Rasht-Astara railway

In a joint meeting with the Minister of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mohammad Eslami announced the construction of the Rasht-Astara (Iran) -Astara (Azerbaijan) railroad and equipping the construction workshop for the project and expressed his expectation that the Republic of Azerbaijan would also fulfill its commitments to accelerate the implementation of the project.

According to the report of the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development on Sunday, the meeting between Mohammad Eslami and Minister of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan Shahiin Mustafayev was held at Spinas Hotel in Tehran with the participation of ambassadors of both countries.

The ways of cooperation, financing and equipment requirements of Rasht-Astara Railway were discussed at the meeting and it was agreed given that Iran had identified and introduced its own company for the construction of the Rasht-Astara Railway, the Republic of Azerbaijan before the holding of Sochi Summit in Russia, introduces the approved company to form a joint Iranian-Azerbaijani company to accelerate the work.

Sochi's last meeting was held in Russia last February with the presence of presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey.

According to the Minister of Roads and Urban Development of Iran, the route of construction of the Rasht-Astara railway was identified and the construction workshop of the project is also equipped and the Republic of Azerbaijan is expected to take immediate action in respect of its commitments to the project.

At the meeting, Eslami announced his readiness to re-launch the Nakhchivan-Mashad train, which was welcomed by the Minister of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The Nakhchivan-Mashhad railway, which started operating in January 2016, was suspended due to technical problems.

The Minister of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan also provided explanations on the commute of the Azerbaijan Republic's fleet, fuel prices and duties received from the transit fleet.

By proposal of the Minister of Roads and Urban Development it was scheduled to form a joint working group attended by the heads of the two countries' relevant transport organizations and experts the issues and problems to be examined and decisions to be made.