Iran, Azerbaijan to launch direct train service
By Nigar Abbasova
Railroad between Mashhad city of Iran and Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan will be launched in autumn 2016, said Mohsen Pakayin, Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan.
The ambassador highlighted that the launch of the railway communication will promote further development of tourism between the two countries, mentioning that the tickets will be put up for sale in Azerbaijan and Iran.
No information about the ticket cost was revealed, while the train is expected to run twice a week.
The project is envisaged within the framework of the agreement between the governments of Azerbaijan and Islamic Republic of Iran on the coordination of railways of the two countries, which was signed by Iranian Minister of Transportation Abbas Akhoundi and Azerbaijan’s Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev during President Ilham Aliyev’s Tehran visit on February 23.
The ambassador went on saying that there are also plans to launch new flights en route Baku-Mashhad and Baku-Shiraz.
Being located in the in the northeast of Iran, Mashhad is considered to be the second most populous city in Iran.
The Islamic Republic has unilaterally cancelled visa requirements for Azerbaijanis since 2009 in a move to demonstrate that Tehran is looking forward to fostering closer relations with Baku.
Currently, Azerbaijan and Iran are focused on expanding economic ties in various fields, including industry, agriculture, energy, alternative energy, and transportation.
The transport connections between Nakhchivan and other countries , except Turkey and the Islamic Republic of Iran ,is possible only by means of air transport.
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Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova
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