On January 9, officials from Iran and Russia held negotiations for the completion of the Rasht-Astara railway project.

Shahriar Efendizadeh, the Deputy Minister of Transport and Urban Development of Iran for Transport, stated that Iran had submitted its 16-point memorandum to determine how Russia will participate in and invest in the Rasht-Astara railway project. "The Russian government is interested in participating in the completion of the Rasht-Astara railway by providing financial assistance," he noted.

According to the deputy transport minister of Iran, a bilateral memorandum was proposed between Iran and Russia in this regard. After a joint statement signed by the ministers of the three countries, a tripartite memorandum was signed between Iran, Russia, and Azerbaijan. "Although Iran is negotiating with Azerbaijan and Russia to participate in the construction of the Rasht-Astara railway, the country will complete the project regardless of Russia's participation," Efendizadeh added.

According to Efendizadeh, at the 13th joint meeting between Iran and Russia, an agreement was reached on transferring 10 million tons of goods by 2023. Three countries - Iran, Russia, and Azerbaijan - agreed to transfer 15 million tons of cargo.

Importantly, before that, within the "North-South" international transport corridor project framework, Azerbaijan built a railway bridge over the Astara River and an 8.3-kilometer railway line from the Astara station (Azerbaijan) to the Iranian border. Azerbaijan also invested 500 million dollars in the construction of the North-South railway corridor in Iran last year.