Baku: Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development, Farzaneh Sadegh, has articulated the rationale behind the establishment of a working group involving Azerbaijan, Iran, and Russia, focusing on road transport. This announcement follows a trilateral meeting in Baku that explored collaborations in the transit, customs, and energy sectors.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, Farzaneh Sadegh emphasized that the primary outcome of the meeting was the establishment of a target by the three nations to boost transit transportation volumes. Specifically, the countries aim to increase the volume of transportation on the “North-South” international transport corridor to 15 million tons. The integration of the Rasht-Astara railway into the North-South corridor is also part of the agenda.

The Iranian minister highlighted the necessity of simplifying customs procedures, noting that extensive trilateral and bilateral discussions on this matter took place in Baku. Sadegh pointed out that cargo carriers from Azerbaijan, Iran, and Russia encounter various challenges, thus prompting the formation of a special working group on automobile transportation. This group includes representatives from customs, border, and transport agencies of the three countries, aiming to address and resolve these issues.