Iran incurs millions of dollars in damages thanks to the 22-year blockage of cargo transit via Jolfa railway, secretary of the high council of free zones, Akbar Torkan, said yesterday. Jolfa railway connects northeast Iran to the Caucasus, Russia, Turkey, Black Sea and Europe. Cargo exchanges through Aras Free Zone have dropped sharply since Caucasus-Jolfa railway became a dead-end after the break-up of the former Soviet Union (USSR) and due to the dispute over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh between
Armenia and Azerbaijan. Presently, the railway only links Iran with Nakhichevan in the Republic of Azerbaijan. According to ILNA, Torkan has called on Iran’s northern neighbors to help reopen the route and benefit from the subsequent increase in regional trade.
