DUSHANBE, August 9, 2016, Asia-Plus — The International North–South Transport Corridor (NSTC) became the key topic on the agenda of a summit involving Russian President Vladimir Putin, his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani and Azerbaijan”s leader Ilham Aliyev,
Sputnik
news agency reported.
The NSTC that Putin referred to as a “flagship project” is a land- and sea-based 7,200 km long network comprising rail, road and water routes that is aimed at reducing costs and travel time for freight transport in a bid to boost trade between Russia, Iran, Central Asia and India. It will link South Asia to Western and Northern Europe.
The route was tested in 2014, with dry runs conducted between Mumbai and Baku, as well as Mumbai and Astrakhan indicating that transport costs could be reduced by $2,500 per 15 tons of cargo, Iranian
PressTV
reported.
The project was unveiled in 2000 when Russia, Iran and India signed an agreement to build the route. Other states involved in the project include Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Oman, Tajikistan, Turkey and Ukraine.
The major infrastructure project, Iranian PressTV said, will rival the Suez Canal.
“We believe that this cooperation serves the interests of the peoples of Iran, Azerbaijan, and Russia and, of course, the interests of the entire region,”
PressTV
quoted Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as saying.
The project, research shows, will provide a cost-effective alternative to the maritime route across the Suez Canal.
Travel time cuts are even more impressive. Russian Railways says India and Russia use maritime routes for freight transport at the moment, with goods reaching their destination in approximately 40 days and the NSTC will allow freight from Mumbai to reach Saint Petersburg in 14 days.
A study, conducted by the Federation of Freight Forwarders” Associations in India showed that the NSTC would be 30 percent cheaper and 40 percent shorter than the existing routes,
The Diplomat
reported in May 2015.
A final declaration of Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran summit reflected the whole range of cooperation opportunities offered by the new format, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in Baku on August 8.
He made the remarks during a joint press conference with Azerbaijan”s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
According to Lavrov, the final document of the summit has covered “both political and economic issues with a focus on transport and energy.”
Lavrov said the three leaders agreed to establish a tripartite mechanism for cooperation at the ministerial level and relevant ministries.
According to Russian media outlets, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani have pledged to counter the growing global threat of terrorism in a joint declaration of a trilateral summit in Baku on Monday.
The three leaders reportedly expressed their willingness to combat terrorism, extremism, transnational organized crime, illicit trafficking in arms, drugs and their precursors, as well as human trafficking and crimes in the sphere of information and communication technologies.
They have also recognized that “the unresolved conflicts in the region are a major obstacle to regional cooperation,” and underlined the importance of their settlement “on the basis of principles and norms of international law.”
“The parties will continue the comprehensive development of equal and mutually beneficial cooperation, and to deepen and broaden the political dialogue at various levels across the entire spectrum of issues of mutual interest,” the document said.
Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran also agreed to deepen cooperation in various sectors of the economy “on the basis of equality and mutual benefit.”
The three presidents also pledged to take effective measures to develop transportation and communication infrastructure in order to expand the opportunities for passenger and cargo transportation via the North-South corridor.
“The parties stressed the importance of an early agreement on the Caspian Sea Convention, and the Foreign Ministers were instructed to intensify the preparation for the Fifth Caspian summit. The new format will have a positive impact on regional processes,” Lavrov pointed out, adding that Russia accepted the invitation to attend the next trilateral summit in Iran.
Foreign Minister of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif said that the heads of the three countries agreed to foster cooperation in the areas of security, energy, transit and other areas.
