Russia
says it has presented a plan to Iran which envisages establishing a
unified transport company with India to operate along the emerging
North-South Transport Corridor (NSTC) – an ambitious intercontinental
multi-modal route that links St. Petersburg to Mumbai.
The plan was raised during a visit to Tehran by Alexander Zhilkin, the governor of Russia’s Astrakhan region.
Zhilkin
has been quoted by ITAR-TASS news agency as saying that Iran should
support the idea of forming a unified international operator for the
NSTC project.
If India agrees to the idea, Russia and Iran propose to create a unified transport and logistics company, ITAR-TASS added.
The
same company would assign representative from each of the countries to
work on their own link in the overall structure of the corridor, the
report added.
The NSTC
primarily involves moving freight from India, Iran, Azerbaijan and
Russia via ship, rail and road. At least two dry runs over the project
have been carried out so far showing that the transport costs as well as
the shipment time will be much lower than the current all-sea route
from St. Petersburg to Mumbai.
Analysts
have already emphasized that the project will be specifically useful
for Iran to import food and consumables from Russia directly to the
consumption centers in its north. They say it will also grant Russia
easier access and a strategic foothold in West Asian markets.
Russia
appears to have already attached a great significance to this project.
It is expected to be a key topic for discussions in an upcoming meeting
between the presidents of Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan, the media have
reported.
Russia pushing North-South route to reality
July 28, 2016
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