ASTANA, May 07. /ITAR-TASS/. Iran has filed an application to join the Council for Rail Transport of the Commonwealth of Independent States as an associate member, Deputy Minister for Transport, Roads and Urban Development and President of Iranian Railways Mohsen Pour Seid Aghaie, told a council session in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, on Wednesday.

The bid awaits consideration, said the head of the Council for Rail Transport of CIS States and president of state-run monopoly Russian Railways, Vladimir Yakunin, speaking to journalists.

Council members meet annually in different locations to co-ordinate railway systems of the former Soviet Union. Permanent members include the Russian Federation, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine.

Associate members are Georgia, Latvia, Bulgaria and Finland. Council sessions are also attended by heads of railways systems in Lithuania, Estonia and Iran.