Estonia interested in joining North-South Transport Corridor
Estonian Minister of Public Administration Mihhail Korb on Friday affirmed that Estonia plans to join the North-South Transport Corridor, a project for an international rail route connecting the Baltic Sea with the Persian Gulf, Azerbaijan Railways said.
Korb met with Azerbaijan Railways chairman Javid Gurbanov and discussed cooperation in the field of railway transport. "At the meeting, Korb noted the need to expand bilateral cooperation with Azerbaijan and affirmed that Estonia intends to join the North-South Transport Corridor," the company said.
After the meeting, a bilateral cooperation memorandum was signed. BNS was unable to reach Korb for comment on Friday.
According to the railway company, the principal advantage of the North-South Transport Corridor in comparison with other transport routes is that it will substantially reduce costs in terms of time and money. While shipping goods from the Persian Gulf to Helsinki via the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean takes 40-60 days, it would only take 20-25 days via the North-South.
To develop the corridor, Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia concluded in 2005 an agreement on the construction of 375 kilometers of railways on Iranian territory as well as on Azerbaijani territory to the Iranian border. The cost of the project is €200 million.
Editor: Aili Vahtla
Source: BNS
