Deputy National Security Advisor Vikram Misri meets Iran's Foreign Minister, discuss transit facilitation through INSTC

Tehran [Iran], July 5 : Deputy National Security Advisor Vikram Misri on Wednesday met Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Tehran and discussed transit facilitation through the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).

"Deputy NSA Shri Vikram Misri called on Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran H.E Amir Abdollahian during his recent visit to Tehran to attend the 3rd Trilateral meeting between India, Iran and Russia for the transit facilitation through INSTC," the Indian Embassy in Iran tweeted on Wednesday.

India, Russia, and Iran, the founding member states of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), gathered in Tehran on Tuesday to discuss solutions for promoting freight transit through the newly developed international corridor.

The event was attended by senior officials from the three countries including Iranian Transport and Urban Development Minister Mehrdad Bazrpash, Head of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) Ali-Akbar Safaei, Deputy National Security Advisor of India Vikram Misri, and Senior Aide to the president of the Russian Federation Igor Yevgenyevich Levitin.

Bazrpash while speaking at the event underlined some of the Islamic Republic's major principles regarding the promotion of INSTC including multilateralism, partnership, transit neighbourhood, networking, facilitation of trade, and intelligent and technological development of transit, and called for maximum collaboration for the development of exchanges through the INSTC.

Recently, Russia and Iran have signed a deal to build an Iranian railway line, the Rasht-Astara railway as part of an International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).

The Rasht-Astara railway is seen as an important link in the corridor, intended to connect India, Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan and other countries via railways and sea - a route that Russia says can rival the Suez Canal as a major global trade route.

It is a 162-kilometer railway that will connect the city of Rasht (Iran) near the Caspian Sea, to Astara (Azerbaijan) on the border with Azerbaijan. The new connection will shave four days off that travelling time frame.

The unique North-South transport artery, of which the Rasht-Astara railway will become a part, will help to significantly diversify global traffic flows. Transportation along the new corridor will have significant competitive advantages and will substantially cut travel times and costs and help develop new logistics chains.

The railway along the Caspian Sea coast would help to connect Russian ports on the Baltic Sea with Iranian ports in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf.