MOSCOW, April 22. /TASS/. Russia invites all the interested countries to participate in development of the North - South international transport corridor (ITC), President Vladimir Putin said at the joint meeting with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev with veterans - Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM) builders.

"Just as the BAM, which became indeed the all-Union construction project, was called to serve interests of all the [Soviet] Union republics, the North-South transport corridor should become an example of the broadest international cooperation," Putin said. "We invite all the interested countries to take part in this project," he noted.

The ITC resembles the BAM by its scale, Putin said. "It actually links the Northern Sea Route to the Persian Gulf," the Russian leader said, adding that the route is being laid "for purposes of expedited economic and social development of Eurasian and Global South countries."