Iran says the North Caucasus is the gateway for the export of Iranian goods and commodities to Russia.
“The North Caucasus is an important and key region for development of Iran-Russia ties and its is the gateway of export Iranian goods to Russia and vice versa,” said Iranian Energy Ministry Reza Ardakanian on Sunday, addressing the second joint economic and trade cooperation commission between Iran and North Caucasus (Russia’s southern provinces) in the Iranian capital Tehran.
The North Caucasus or Ciscaucasia is the northern part of the Caucasus region between the Sea of Azov and Black Sea on the west and the Caspian Sea on the east, in Russia.
Geographically, the Northern Caucasus includes the Russian republics of the North Caucasus, that is, Krasnodar Krai, Stavropol Krai, the Republic of Adygea, Karachay–Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia–Alania, Ingushetia, Chechnya, and the Republic of Dagestan.
The Iranian minister stressed that the region’s potentials need to be activated using the common backgrounds such as historical and cultural features.
“Iran is trying to connect its internal railways to those of the neighbours. The project has started by the inauguration of the 165-km Qazvin-Rasht rail road,” noted Ardakanian, stressing that North Caucaus is the juncture of North-South transit corridor.
Should Rasht be connected to Astara on the border with Azerbaijan, the south-north transit corridor will be finished in Iran.
Ardakanian also mentioned that both Iran and Russia are prepared to connect their internal banking networks (Shetab in Iran and Mir in Russia). The move will facilitate the use of Iranian rial and Russian ruble in their bilateral trade, he said.
He stressed that he Iran can also turn into a transit hub for Russian and Kazakh wheat.
The Iranian energy minister believes that more efforts should be taken to link Iranian national grid with that of Russia through Armenia and Georgia.