Following talks with Armenia, Iran has announced its readiness to cooperate in the construction of a new transportation route (Kajaran-Sisian road) that this northwestern neighbor is planning to build for completing its North-South Transport Corridor, says Iran’s deputy roads and urban development minister.
“The new route will form part of Iran-Armenia-Georgia Transportation Corridor and will be 64 kilometers long, which is half the length of the existing route. This newly-defined corridor is being constructed with the aim of increasing the efficacy of transportation along the North-South Transportation Corridor and has nothing to do with Armenia’s recent conflict with Azerbaijan,” Kheirollah Khademi was also quoted as saying by ILNA.
The official, who also doubles as the CEO of the Construction and Development of Transportation Infrastructure Company, noted that the corridor is apart from the alternative route the two countries have agreed to establish to bypass their mutual neighbor, Azerbaijan.
“There is currently a 400-kilometer route beginning from Nurduz in Iran’s East Azarbaijan Province, leading up to Yerevan. This road is in fact part of the North-South Transportation Corridor. Yet, after the recent conflicts in the region, close to 21 kilometers of the route have come under Azerbaijan’s control and is now considered that country’s territory, which is demanding heavy transit fees from Iranian fleet in exchange for having access to the road,” he explained.
Khademi noted that this part of the corridor is very short, yet the Azerbaijan’s government charges Iranian trucks as if they have allowed access to long and winding roads of a new country, and on top of that, enforces strict regulations over Iranian truck fleet and consignments.
“This is why Iran is willing to establish new routes to access Armenia and through that, Georgia, the Caucasian Region and Europe. Azerbaijan is demanding higher than normal transit fees from our fleet and passengers, and the Iranian government has objected to that. Iran and Armenia have agreed to establish a route from Kapan to Goris both in Armenia’s Syunik Province,” he said.
“We are looking for a way to reach Armenia without needing to pass through Azerbaijan. The Iranian private sector is ready to cooperate in making this happen.”
INSTC is a major transit route designed to facilitate the transportation of goods from Mumbai in India to Helsinki in Finland, using Iranian ports and railroads, which the Islamic Republic plans to connect to those of Azerbaijan and Russia.
The corridor will connect Iran with Russia’s Baltic ports and give Russia rail connectivity to both the Persian Gulf and the Indian rail network. This means goods could be carried from Mumbai to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas and further to Baku. They could then pass across the Russian border into Astrakhan before proceeding to Moscow and St. Petersburg, before entering Europe.
INSTC would substantially cut the travel time for everything from Asian consumer goods to Central Eurasia’s natural resources to advanced European exports.
Alireza Peymanpak, the new head of the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran, told Fars News Agency that in order to increase exports to Russia and other neighboring countries, Iran is looking for new transport corridors.
“Since we always had difficulties in transporting export commodities through Azerbaijan, especially in the cold season, the government is eagerly pursuing the establishment of a new corridor that will alternatively lead our trucks though Armenia toward Georgia and Russia.
This corridor will be completed and launched within a month.”
Khademi visited Armenia last week to discuss options regarding Iran’s participation in the completion of Tatev Project in the neighboring country.
Tatev road in Armenia is considered an alternative route for Iranian transit trucks crossing into Russia and Europe, IRNA reported.
Azerbaijan has recently imposed strict regulations on Iranian trucks. The country claims the ownership of less than 20 kilometers of the 400-kilometer route from Nurduz border crossing to Yerevan.
Last month, Azerbaijani forces blocked part of the land route for a few days and imposed heavy tolls on Iranian trucks carrying goods to Armenia.
Azerbaijani officers deployed there began stopping and taxing on Sept. 12 Iranian trucks delivering goods to and from Armenia. Many truck drivers have refused to pay the “road tax” reportedly ranging from $150 to $350 per vehicle, according to Azatutyun.am.
Two of them were arrested by Azerbaijani authorities for allegedly travelling to Nagorno-Karabakh without Baku’s permission. The Iranian Foreign Ministry called for their immediate release at the weekend.
The completion of Tatev Road would help Iranian truckers bypass Azerbaijan on their way to Armenia, Russia and Europe.
Direct Marine Routes
Iran is also preparing to bypass Azerbaijan with more direct sea routes. “The destination of trucks carrying export goods is mainly Russia; a small number of trucks have Armenia and Azerbaijan as their final destinations. Given the problems that Azerbaijan has created for Iranian trucks, the best-case scenario would be that all Iranian trucks reach Russia or Armenia directly by sea,” said the director general of Gilan Ports and Maritime Organization, Hamidreza Abaei.
“Availability of infrastructures is crucial when it comes to maritime transport. Ports must have adequate infrastructure to handle roll-on/roll-off vessels [cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo]. Bandar Anzali has managed to accommodate 12 Ro-Ro vessels, but we failed to build inter-organizational coordination in handling trucks carrying goods to the Commonwealth of Independent States, such as Russia and Kazakhstan, and even Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan,” he was quoted as saying by ILNA.
Noting that besides Bandar Anzali, Astara Port will soon be ready to handle Ro-Ro vessels, the official said, “Accepting a ship to carry cargo trucks to Russia requires dredging and creating the right depth, but the more important issue is scheduling, meaning that the duration of the truck stays at ports and the arrival and departure of vessels must be specified. That is only possible when all organizations, including the Headquarters to Combat Smuggling of Goods and Foreign Exchange, the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration and the Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran, work in unison to set a specific timeline for the stay of trucks and vessels at ports.”
