Russia suggests Russian-Iranian intergovernmental commission be convened early in 2018

MOSCOW, January 10. /TASS/. Russia suggests that the 14th session of the Russian-Iranian Permanent Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation be convened at the beginning of 2018, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at his meeting with Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on Wednesday. "Preparations for a regular meeting of the intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation are underway. We have suggested it should be convened at the very beginning of the current year," Lavrov said. At the Russian-Iranian commission’s previous meeting held in Tehran on December 13, 2017, Russia and Iran agreed that Russia would draft and submit to Iran its proposals on funding the Rasht-Astara railway project. Construction of the 170-kilometer rail section connecting the cities of Rasht and Astara is part of the North-South International Transport Corridor (INSTC) project. The project aims to connect INSTC onshore sections, which will increase economic efficiency of the Caspian multimodal transport route. In particular, Russia and Iran will be engaged in construction of the Rasht-Astara (Iran) section, but the Astara (Iran) - Astara (Azerbaijan) route will be constructed by Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan. Read more