RUSSIA TO HOLD NORTH-SOUTH TRANSPORT CORRIDOR RALLY
Tehran Times
August 15, 2009
TEHRAN (Press TV) — The Republic of Kalmykia of the Russian Federation
is planning to hold the International North-South Transport Corridor
(INSTC) rally.
The event, which is said to be a rival for the famous Paris-Dakar
rally, will start next year with the aim of introducing and promoting
the North-South Transport Corridor.
A multi modal transportation established by Iran, Russia and India
in St. Petersburg in September 2000, the INSTC connects the Indian
Ocean and the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea via Iran, which is
then connected to St. Petersburg and North Europe via the Russian
Federation.
The INSTC was expanded to include eleven new members, namely
Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey,
Ukraine, Belarus, Oman, Syria and Bulgaria.
The rally has been organized and supported by President of the Republic
of Kalmykia K.N. Ilyumzhinov to act as an international symbol for
INSTC and a way to attract international investors to the corridor.
Introducing the Iran path as a safe transportation route from Asia
to Europe and introducing the economical and commercial potentials
of the countries along INSTC are among the other aims of the project.
Organizers hope that the annual rally will introduce the corridor as
a more affordable path, compared to the Suez Canal, for transporting
products from Asia to Europe and back.
International news coverage of the rally by advertising companies and
media will also introduce the corridor as a significant economical
route.