BAKU. March 29 (Interfax) - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said he considers trilateral cooperation with the leaders of Iran and Russia important.
"We are actively involved in different bilateral, trilateral, and four-sided formats of cooperation. In particular, trilateral meetings between the presidents of Azerbaijan, Iran, and Russia were held in Baku in 2016 and then in Tehran in 2017. These meetings are important," Aliyev said at an Azerbaijani-Iranian business forum in Baku on Thursday.
At their trilateral meetings, the Azerbaijani, Iranian, and Russian presidents discussed both political and economic issues, including transport and energy projects, he said.
"I think that entrepreneurs of our three countries ought to take advantage of the existing opportunities," Aliyev said.
The North-South Transport Corridor allows its participants to gain financially, because this route is expected to handle up to ten million tonnes of cargo a year, he said.
"The North-South Corridor is being created through serious efforts undertaken by Azerbaijan and Iran," Aliyev said.
The North-South Transport Corridor is meant to connect Northern Europe with Southeast Asia, linking, the railways of Azerbaijan, Iran, and Russia, among others. Five million tonnes of cargo a year are to be transported along the corridor at the first stage, and over 10 million later.
The corridor will carry cargo from India and then through the Persian Gulf, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Russia toward the Nordic countries and Northern Europe in just 14 days.
To develop the route, Azerbaijan, Iran, and Russia agreed in 2005 to build 375 kilometers of railroads in Iran and Azerbaijan between Astara and the Azerbaijani- Iranian border, as well as to renovate an old rail line in Azerbaijan.