Trilateral negotiations between the state railway agencies of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia regarding the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) will start in April, reported Day.az, citing information provided by the Azerbaijan State Railroad. The meeting, which was initially planned for December 2006, but was pushed back due to “organizational problems,” will be dedicated to the discussion of the construction work being carried out in Iran and its existing challenges. The corridor will require construction of a 8.3 kilometer-long railroad track on the territory of Azerbaijan, along with four stations, a border patrol point, a customs point, a rail maintenance point, and a bridge over Astara river to be built jointly by Azerbaijan and Iran. 

The idea of creating the INSTC was introduced in 2000 during a meeting between railroad agencies of Russia, Iran and India, and the agreement was signed in 2002. Azerbaijan joined the project in 2005. This corridor connects the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea via Iran, and then is connected to St. Petersburg and Northern Europe through the Russian Federation.

This information was originally published March 19, 2007 (www.day.az).