Iran’s Supreme National Security Council will approve an agreement on the construction of the Rasht-Astara railway.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that Iranian Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development Houshang Bazvand said this.
He said land acquisition along the 162-kilometer Rasht-Astara route had been completed.
Bazvand said one of Russia’s concerns had been the completion of land acquisition, adding that Moscow had stated it would launch the project after the process was finished.
He said Moscow wanted the agreement to be approved by Iran’s parliament or the Supreme National Security Council before signing an implementation contract for the project, as is the case in Russia.
Bazvand added that the issue was currently undergoing approval by the Supreme National Security Council. In his view, the council will decide within a maximum of several months whether the project will be implemented jointly with Russia or by Iran.
The deputy minister stressed that Iran’s goal was to begin construction of the Rasht-Astara railway project with Russia after the agreement is approved by the Supreme National Security Council.
The Rasht-Astara railway is a key missing link in the International North-South Transport Corridor, which is designed to connect India and other countries in South Asia with Russia and Northern Europe through Iran and Azerbaijan.
