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Putin expects agreement with Baku, Tehran on North-South corridor to be signed soon

The implementation of the Rasht-Astara project to become the beginning of the work on gradual increase of throughput capacity of railway routes of the International North-South Transport Corridor

MOSCOW, May 17. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin believes that the agreement between Moscow, Baku and Tehran on cooperation for development of railway infrastructure and freight service along the North-South route will be drafted and concluded soon.

"Cooperation in the context of creation of this corridor, which we are talking about today, is underway in a close partnership with Azerbaijan. And we believe that the drafting in the three-party format, with the participation of the Azerbaijani side, of the agreement on cooperation for development of railway infrastructure and freight service along the North-South route will be completed soon," Putin said at the ceremony of signing the agreement on joint creation of the Rasht-Astara railroad section in the republic on Wednesday, adding that this will help form the required legal framework for further successful coordination of the three countries.

The implementation of the Rasht-Astara project will become the beginning of the work on gradual increase of throughput capacity of railway routes of the International North-South Transport Corridor, the Russian president noted.

"Obviously, I would like to thank all Russian and Iranian colleagues who managed to reach agreements on all key issues, including financing, terms of supplies of goods and services, rules of operation of the future Rasht-Astara railway, within a highly constrained timeframe, and to express confidence that such a strategically important section of the North-South main route will be constructed as consistently and efficiently," Putin said. He joined the ceremony via video link.

Some 170 km long, the Rasht-Astara line is designed to link land sections of the International North-South Transport Corridor, which will boost the economic efficiency of the trans-Caspian route. It is planned that the Rasht-Astara line will be built by Moscow and Tehran, while the Astara (Iranian city) - Astara (Azerbaijani city) line will be constructed by Moscow, Tehran, and Baku.

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