MOSCOW, April 1. /TASS/. Traditional sea and overland routes oriented towards the West are becoming increasingly vulnerable in the environment of global instability, Ambassador of Iran to Russia Kazem Jalali said at the International Transport and Logistical Forum.

"The traditional sea lanes passing through bottlenecks, such as the Suez Canal or straits that are under influence of Western powers, are exposed to risks in the security sphere as never before. They are exposed to security risks, growing insurance expenses and threats of disruptions of goods flows. Some rail and motor routes oriented towards the West have also turned into an arena of geopolitical pressure, tariff and administrative constraints," the Ambassador said.

"The notion of security has again become the dominating factor over trade in conditions of global competition, unilateral sanctions and instability. We see the world enters the epoch of the systemic standoff, where security becomes the main instrument of power demonstration. Countries have to restructure their transport networks to increase their resilience to geopolitical pressure," Jalali noted.

Such factors "amplify attention to alternative routes through the very heart of Eurasia, which rest not one or two points but are founded on a differentiated and intertwined network," the Ambassador said. "In this context, the role of Russia as the power, whose territory is the natural bridge between Europe, Asia and Arctic region, acquires particular significance. The Russian transport policy in this new reality is not merely the industrial policy but the national strategy of strengthening territorial integrity, which increases quality of life of citizens and increases the geopolitical weight of the country worldwide," Jalali said.

Coinciding interests of Russia and Iran in this sphere open opportunities for "strategic cooperation in the sphere of transport corridors," the Ambassador added.

TASS is the general information partner of the forum.