ARMENIA GETS FREE ACCESS TO IRANIAN PORTS: DEPUTY MINISTER OF TRANSPORT

ARKA News Agency
Oct 16 2007
Armenia

YEREVAN, October 16. /ARKA/. Armenian carriers of cargo have got a
free access to the ports in the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea,
said RA Deputy Minister of Transport Hrant Beglarian.

According to him, signed on October 10, the Armenian-Iranian memorandum
on transit traffic cooperation opens a cheaper and shorter way to
Central Asian, Middle Eastern and Russian markets.

Armenian carriers of cargo will have an opportunity to convey as
transit goods though the territory of Iran to the Bandarabas ports
(Persian Gulf) and Enzeli (the Caspian Sea) and from there either
to Arab countries or to Aktau (Kazakhstan and Astakhan), the Deputy
Minister said.

He pointed out that only Iranian carriers of cargo had formerly used
this route. According to Beglarian, the new route will help to shorten
twice the track of freight traffic and reduce expenses by 60%.

This will influence the statistics of freight traffic, Armenian experts
say. The share of Iranian ports in Armenia’s turnover is about 3%.