TEHRAN- The international conference to recognize the capacities and potentials of rail transport of the Islamic Republic of Iran was held in Tehran with the participation of Uzbekistan, Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan, IRIB reported on Tuesday.

As reported, the conference was aimed at making Iran's international rail transport capacities more known, especially the advantages of international rail corridors passing through Iran.

Senior directors and representatives of railways from Central Asian countries, including Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Russia, along with rail cargo forwarding companies from Uzbekistan and Russia, were present at this international gathering.

Also, some Iranian international rail transport companies participated in the one-day event to present their services and capabilities for international transport and transit from Iran to the participants.

Considering the strategic position of Iran, as well as the important international rail corridors from north to south and east to west that pass through the country, as well as the connection of the railway network of the Islamic Republic of Iran to open waters, Iran's route is one of the shortest, safest and most economical routes for rail transit from east to west, especially the cargo transportation of the landlocked countries of Central Asia to Europe, India, as well as transportation of transit cargo from the important ports of Iran.

Back in October 2022, Tehran hosted a summit on transit cooperation between Iran and five Central Asian countries including Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.

According to Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy Mehdi Safari, during the two-day event, challenges and opportunities of expanding transit collaboration between Iran and the mentioned Central Asian nations were explored.

“This gathering will lead to the adoption of a more coordinated policy among the present countries, and hopefully result in providing solutions for the obstacles regarding transit cooperation,” Safari said at the opening ceremony of the summit.

Also speaking at the summit, Deputy Transport Minister Shahriyar Afandizadeh said: “Due to the formation of the current constructive and interactive atmosphere in the field of international transportation and transit among the present members, and considering Iran's bilateral and multilateral agreements with other countries, a new chapter will be opened in the country’s transportation and transit collaborations.”

The improvement of border traffic, digital development in transit processes, facilitation of embassy affairs and visa issuance for drivers, as well as continuous improvement of tariffs and transit charges were among the major goals of the summit, according to Afandizadeh.

Last month, the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways (known as RAI) said the transport index (TI), which refers to the total number of person-kilometers and ton-kilometers, and is a kind of indicator of the total performance of the country's railways, has grown by 4.6 percent in the country in the first nine months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-Decemebr 21, 2022), as compared to the same period of the previous year.

Making the remarks in a meeting with the board of directors of the Union of Rail Transport Companies on Sunday, Miad Salehi said, “Despite the country's economic difficulties, the railway sector has taken important steps forward in the first nine months of this year.”

MA/MA