Developing transport, trade capacities, top on govt. agenda

Mohammad Eslami made the remarks on the sidelines of the International Conference of Eurasian Economic Union and Geopolitical Role of Free Zones in Developing Regional Relations, held in Bandar Anzali on Tuesday.

The minister said that development of trade and transit is one of the necessities of country’s economic prosperity. Therefore, development of the capacity of transit roads and also railway network has been put on the government’s agenda specifically and this issue will be continued until the last working day of the current government.”

Connecting Qazvin-Rasht Railway to Bandar Anzali and connection of this railway to Astara in Gilan province is one of the salient projects which is under construction, the roads minister highlighted.

He expressed his hope that the connection of Caspian Port to the railway network will become operational in the current administration.

He went on to say that the Rasht-Astara Railway project is under construction according to the scheduled program, adding, “Connection of country’s railway to Afghanistan railway network as well as the connection of Chabahar to Zahedan by rail line is under construction and would be put into operation soon.”

He further pointed out that the completion of construction operation of highway and freeway network is underway so that North-South and West-East corridors will benefit from the transportation capacities of these routes.

The attractiveness of using Iran’s opportunity in transit will be doubled for Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) with the completion of infrastructures, Eslami stressed.

For this reason, moreover developing infrastructures, it is tried to ink an agreement in World Railway Union (WRU) in order to play a key role in transit of goods within the framework of regional cooperation, Roads Minister added.