ArmInfo. The construction of the Rasht-Astara railway will mean a further blockade of Armenia, and nothing more. Ara Marjanyan, EU national expert on transport, told ArmInfo. According to him, the construction of this section of the road, which was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Tehran, does not promise anything good for Armenia, since the use of the North-South corridor on the left bank of the Caspian Sea will have the most negative impact on projects in Armenia itself.
"However, this is not the first such statement. The need to build this section of the railway has been discussed for the last 10-15 years, and it has been discussed at the highest level. Let's hope that we are talking about a tactical game, and not about strategic intentions>, the expert said.
Yesterday, in Tehran, Vladimir Putin told reporters that Russia is ready to build a section of the Rasht- Astara railway on the territory of Iran in order to make the North-South transport corridor work. According to him, Russia is engaged in the decision to restore the transport infrastructure in the South Caucasus with access to Iran, so that the North-South corridor will work.
<This is a short route with access to the southern ports of Iran and further to the Persian Gulf and India. <There is one specific area - Rasht - Astara. This is a small area in Iranian territory, 146 kilometers. Azerbaijan is interested in the construction of this section. We recently met with President Aliyev as part of the Caspian Summit, we discussed this issue>, Putin said. According to him, Iran has also confirmed its interest. "Russia is interested in this issue, because we will pass directly to the Persian Gulf from the north of Russia, from St. Petersburg. The question is to build a section of only 146 kilometers. The Russian side is ready to do this>, Putin said, adding that it remains only to agree on the conditions for construction.
The "North-South" railway transport corridor runs through Russia, Azerbaijan to the southern ports of Iran. In the future, it is planned to open a highway along this route
