Iran, Azerbaijan exchange of goods to grow to 2 mn tons

Speaking in an interview with IRNA, Kheirollah Khademi pointed to the inauguration of the border bridge between Iran and Azerbaijan and said boosting the trade exchanges with the neighboring states is one of the main programs of the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development.

The creation of new communication roads to these countries can help boost the infrastructures and increase the economic exchanges to a great extent, the deputy roads minister maintained.

The Astara region is one of the highly-used transportation roads between the two countries and a gateway of the Islamic of Iran to the Caucasus and European countries and Russia, he stated.

Intensive negotiations were held between the heads of the Iran-Azerbaijan Joint Economic Cooperation Commission to increase the transit capacity via the common borders of the two countries, he said, adding, “It is hoped that the newly-inaugurated Astarachay Bridge will help boost the exchange of goods and transit of passengers.”

A new bridge that connects Astara in northwestern Iran to the city of the same name in the southeast of the Republic of Azerbaijan was put into operation at the common border on Saturday.

It was inaugurated at a ceremony attended by Iranian Roads Minister Mehrdad Bazrpash and Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Shahin Mustafayev.

The border bridge has a width of 32 meters and is 89 meters long. It completes a major section of an international highway that connects Iran’s Rasht to the Azeri capital of Baku.

The foundation of the new bridge over the Astarachay River was laid in January 2022.

MNA/TSN