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Deputy PM: North-South corridor plays major role for Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia

13 October 2025 10:55 (UTC +04:00)

The North-South international transport corridor plays a major role in the development of our economic and trade relations, said Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan, Shahin Mustafayev, at a trilateral meeting of government representatives of Azerbaijan, Russia, and Iran held in Baku, APA reports.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that during the first 9 months of this year, the volume of cargo transportation along this corridor increased by 8.3% compared to the same period last year: “Azerbaijan, as the only country with land borders with both Iran and Russia, occupies a strategic position in the western part of the North-South transport corridor. This geographical advantage allows our country to play an important role in the effective operation of the corridor and the development of transport relations in the region. The joint efforts of our countries are aimed at increasing the efficiency and transit potential of this corridor. According to the Baku Declaration signed following the trilateral meeting held in Baku in September 2022, it is planned to increase cargo transportation along the corridor to 15 million tons. In order to further develop the North–South Transport Corridor, several important bilateral documents have also been signed between the parties over the past period.

In May 2023, an Agreement was signed between the Government of Iran and the Government of Russia on the construction of the Rasht-Astara railway in Iran.

In addition, in December 2024, the Governments of Azerbaijan and Russia signed an Agreement on cooperation in developing transit cargo transportation along the North–South International Transport Corridor. According to the Agreement, after the modernization of the relevant railway infrastructure, the guaranteed volume of cargo to be transported through Azerbaijan will be at least 5 million tons per year starting from January 1, 2028. This volume is expected to reach at least 15 million tons once the Parties make the corresponding decision. At the same time, in December 2023, a new automobile bridge and border crossing point over the Astarachay River on the Azerbaijan–Iran border were put into operation."