TEHRAN, Apr. 05 (MNA) – Iran and Russia will conclude the final agreement on completing the Rasht-Astara railway project by the end of next Iranian month (21 May 2023), a source familiar with the issue said.

"The most important corridor of the country is currently the North-South corridor, and the most important railway project is Rasht-Astara," the Deputy Head of Construction and Development of Transportation Infrastructure Company for Railroad, Ports and Airports Expansion Abbas Khatibi said.

Serious negotiations are underway between Iran and Russia on participating in both the financial and technical parts of the Rasht-Astara railway and the completion of the north-south corridor, Khatibi added.

By the end of 21 May this year, the agreement with Russia will be finalized, he stressed.

Answering a question about the presence of Azerbaijan in the project, Khatibi noted that negotiations are underway and Iran trying to set a bilateral agreement with Russia, after which, with the accession of Azerbaijan, this agreement will become tripartite.

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