12m tons of Russian goods to transit via Iran to India

The goods will be transported through the International North-South Transportation Corridor. The decision has come as a result of the efforts of Russia and India to increase goods trade and boost economic partnership, especially amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, Asian News International reported on Tuesday.

An agreement was reportedly signed by Iran’s Deputy Transport and Urban Development Minister for Transportation Affairs Shahriar Afandizadeh and Russia’s Deputy Minister of Transportation Dmitry Zverev.

After the agreement was signed, the first freight train arrived at Iran’s Sarakhs in Khorasan Razavi Province near the border of Turkmenistan and this marked the official launch of the eastern section of INSTC.

The train, carrying 39 containers of goods, left Chekhov on July 6 and traveled 3,800 km through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan before entering Iran. This train will carry the containers to Bandar Abbas in southern Iran and then head for India’s Nhava Sheva Port via seaways.

In July, Iran and Russia had signed an agreement for transiting 10 million tons of Russian goods through Iran. The transit of Russian goods crossing Tehran was also addressed in Jaishankar’s visit to Moscow.

“We discussed ways of expanding and diversifying our cooperation, moving beyond traditional areas,” he said.

“The promotion of inter-regional cooperation has been a key priority for us, particularly with the Russian Far East. We also discussed enhancing connectivity, including through the International North-South Transportation Corridor as well as the Chennai-Vladivostok Eastern Maritime Corridor. I updated [Russian Foreign] Minister [Sergey] Lavrov and deputy PM [Denis] Manturov on India’s flagship initiatives, including Atmanirbhar Bharat, i.e., self-reliant India and Make in India, that can serve as platforms for a more contemporary economic relationship between our two countries,” as per the press statement from India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

Such goods consignment will surely boost trade relations with Russia, which has been a long-time trade partner.

MNA/PR