A memorandum on construction of Iran-Armenia railroad signed in Yerevan
2009-04-04 12:07:00
ArmInfo. Armenian Transport and Communication Minister Gourgen Sargsyan
and Iranian Road and Transport Minister Hamid Behbahani signed a
memorandum on construction of Iran- Armenia railroad in Yerevan,
Friday.
During a joint briefing G.Sargsyan pointed out that this railroad will
have a regional significance and actually "will continue the Silk Road
in the shape of railroad communication". He added that it is envisaged
to sign an agreement on construction of the railroad in April 2009,
during Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s visit to Tehran.
The transport minister added that Russia also expressed willingness to
participate in this project at various levels, including designing,
financing and construction. To receive a loan for the construction of
the railroad, Armenia negotiates with the World Bank, Asian Development
Bank and other donors, he said. The preliminary feasibility study of
the project will be ready within three months, he added.
For his part, Hamid Behbahani pointed out that Iran will provide
Armenia with an access to the Persian Gulf and Iranian ports, which is
very important for the economic development of the country which Blacks
sea links. He added that the working group set up for this purpose will
prepare the feasibility study and outline the route of the railroad
within the next 1-1.5 years. Its length may be 470 km, 60 km of which –
in Iran, the rest – in Armenia. According to him, the construction
itself will last 3-4 years. He pointed out that the project is
preliminarily estimated at $1-1,2 bln.
To note, the Armenian president qualified the construction of
Iran-Armenia railroad as a national project. The railroad will allow
Armenia to receive an access to the Persian Gulf and Central Asian
markets via Iran. At the moment, the railroad communication of Armenia
with the external world is blocked by Turkey and Azerbaijan. There is
no railway communication with Russia either because of the
Georgian-Russian conflict.