ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
April 6, 2004 Tuesday

Russia, Iran interested in railroad cooperation

By Sergei Zakharov and Ravil Musin

TEHRAN

Iranian Minister of Roads and Transport Ahmad Khoram and visiting
president of the company Russian Railroads Gennady Fadeyev, at a
meeting on Tuesday, expressed interest of Russia and Iran in
cooperation in the sphere of transport and railroad construction.

Fadeyev arrived in Iran for talks about cooperation in railroad
transport and creating the international North-South transport
corridor.

The president of the Russian company specially emphasized that the
volume of railroad transportation between the two countries increased
54 percent last year, compared with 2002.

After the formation of the international transport corridor this
indicator is expected to double, to reach 8 million tonnes a year.

Gennady Fadeyev noted a mutually advantageous character of this
cooperation and its good prospects.

Ahmad Khoram also noted the importance of developing interaction in
the sphere of railroad transport and setting up the North-South
international corridor.

He expressed the hope that relations between the two neighboring
countries will continue to developing, including in this sphere.

Russia, Iran and India are the founders of the international
transport corridor. Kazakhstan and Belarus have officially joined the
ITC.

Oman, Tajikistan, Armenia, Syria, Sweden, Finland, Azerbaijan, and
Bulgaria display interest in it. ITC potential cargo flows by 2010
are estimated at 30 to 50 million tonnes a year.