Russia's Lavrov Says Plans To Discuss North-South Corridor With Azerbaijani Counterpart

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday that he plans to discuss the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhun Bayramov, during his visit to Moscow

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th May, 2023) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday that he plans to discuss the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhun Bayramov, during his visit to Moscow.

The meeting between Lavrov and Bayramov is taking place in the Russian capital.

"It is a good opportunity to take advantage of your stay in Moscow to see the state of our bilateral affairs. Especially in the run-up to our leaders' forthcoming contacts. That is why I would like to emphasize once again our focus on the implementation of all agreements reached between Presidents (Vladimir) Putin and (Ilham) Aliyev ... One of the latest interesting projects is the INSTC. Therefore, we expect that the next meeting will agree on further work in this and other directions," Lavrov told Bayramov.

The minister added that he also intends to discuss business cooperation with the Azerbaijani side.

"Our trade is on the rise and investments are working. Companies have further plans. So let's exchange views on these issues," Lavrov said.

The INSTC is a 7,200-kilometer-long multi-mode network connecting Russia's Saint Petersburg to India's Mumbai. It is an alternative to the sea route connecting Europe, the Persian Gulf countries and the Indian Ocean through the Suez Canal. The Rasht-Astara railway, the Iranian part of the INSTC, remains unfinished. Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan are preparing an intergovernmental agreement on the construction of this section and plan to complete it in 2023.