IRAN ADVOCATES ARMENIAN-AZERI COOPERATION
YEREVAN, JANUARY 31. ARMINFO. Iran’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan Afshar
Sumeymani has supported the statement by his counterpart to Russia
Gulam Rza Shafai that the involvement of Azerbaijan and Armenia in the
North-South transport corridor will promote Azeri-Armenian
rapprochement.
Suleymani says that the restoration of the railroad communication
between Iran and Russia via Julfa, Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic,
will play an important role for ensuring the region’s secure economic
development. Iran advocates peace and cooperation in the region and
the Kazvin-Resht-Astara section of the North-South transport corridor
will give wider transit opportunities to Azerbaijan and Armenia while
the whole project will promote the development of their transport
infrastructures.
To remind, the Yerevan (Armenia)-Julfa (Azerbaijan)-Tebriz (Iran)
railroad was stalled in 1992 because of the Karabakh conflict. In the
Soviet times it carried 5 mln tons of cargo a year.