Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan sign MoU on rail freight transit

Iran, Russia, and Azerbaijan signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on rail freight transit on Friday, according to IRNA. The MoU was signed by Jabbar Ali Zakeri, Deputy Minister for Roads and Urban Development and head of Iran's Railway Authority; Oleg Belozyorov, CEO of Russian Railways; and Rovshan Rustamov, head of Azerbaijan Railways.

The officials expressed hope for better transit connectivity between the countries and held discussions regarding the development of the western route of the North-South Corridor. At the end of the trilateral meeting, the CEO of Russian Railways announced an agreement between Tehran, Moscow, and Baku on establishing a "digital corridor" by orchestrating data exchange systems and implementing new transport technology.

During his trip to Moscow, Zakeri also met with Dmitry Zverev, Russia’s Deputy Minister of Transport, to exchange views on the latest status of the Rasht-Astara Railway project and ways to strengthen the rail routes of the International North-South Transport Corridor. The meeting was attended by Afshin Parchizadeh, deputy head of the Iranian embassy in Moscow; Managing Director of Russian Railways Sergey Pavlov; as well as officials and representatives from different Russian ministries.

According to Mehr News, the MoU aims to enhance cooperation in rail freight transit, which is expected to boost trade and connectivity among the three nations.