Official negotiations for new transit routes

Iranian Deputy Minister of the Road and Urban Development said official negotiations between Iran and the countries of Caucasus region for building new transit routes has begun. "We are looking for establishment alternative and superseded transit routes toward Europe," he said.

News ID: 59090

Date: 20 December 2015 - 10:10

Davood Keshavarzian, head of Iran road maintenance and transportation organization, told Ilna Reporter that they are currently negotiating with the authorities of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Bulgaria so as to build new transit routes. "Recently, we have begun negotiating with authorities of the Caucasus region countries for establishing alternative transit routes, in addition to our current transit routes toward Europe," he added.
Current policy of government and the Ministry of the Road and Urban Development is to increase the number of alternative transit routes toward Europe. "Some of the alternative routes might have no advantage over the current transit routes. What matters here, is that in some critical situations we must be able supersede the current transit routes with alternative ones," Keshavarzian stated.
Ilna news agency reported that Iran is seeking for alternative transit routes toward Europe due to the disputes with Turkey. Since last year, the disputes between Iran and turkey began to rise after Turkey violated the transit fuel agreement at the border town of Bazargan. The disputes intensified after the Iranian trucks were targeted in a terror attack inside the Turkey. Iran is currently considering three different routes toward Europe: Azerbaijan-Russia-Belarus-Bulgaria, Azerbaijan-Georgia-Black Sea-Bulgaria, and Armenia-Black Sea-Bulgaria.