An official with Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) said talks are ongoing between Iran and some Persian Gulf littoral states for their investment in the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
Khosro Saraei, the director general of the PMO Office of transit, logistics and agreements made the remarks addressing an international conference on Iran’s seaborne economy with the focus on the INSTC project.
“Since the development of all-out ties with the neighboring states is one of the priorities of the administration of President (Ebrahim) Raisi, constructive talks have been held with the Persian Gulf littoral states and they have shown their interest in using Iranian land to access northern countries,” the official said.
Concurrently, expert-level talks are being held with the Russian side, so that Iran would act as a linking bridge between north and south although INSTC is not limited to these countries, Saraei noted.
Talks have also been held with the Persian Gulf littoral states for attracting investment in the corridor, details of which will be announced after the finalization stage, he added.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the official pointed to the participation of Indian companies in the development of Iran’s Chabahar Port and added that it does not mean other countries cannot take part in the development of phases of the Chabahar Port.
Minister of Trade of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) Andrey Slepnev has said in October that the union had had positive talks with Arab states so as to convince them to join the INSTC project.