BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 11. Indian publication The Print examined the potential of the North-South International Transport Corridor (ITC), which is presently being intensively pursued by India, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Russia, TurkicWorld reports, in reference to the publication.
"There are several international routes towards the open ocean. For example, the Persian Gulf-Black Sea Corridor and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. However, their readiness is lower than the North-South route," the Indian publication opined.
The Indian city of Mumbai is the terminus of the eastern branch of the "North-South," and the Russian Federation is currently testing the delivery of food products through this multimodal line.
"The North-South corridor is almost a reality, despite all the obstacles. From an economic perspective, this method is substantially more profitable than delivery via the Suez Canal, according to trial cargo shipments carried from Russia to India. Resolving insurance concerns and a few other legal matters was the last hurdle," the newspaper writes.
For a long time, the North-South corridor sat unused because of the cumbersome customs procedures at the borders, the lackluster cargo flow overall, and the underwhelming potential of Iran's railroads.
The material notes that Azerbaijan is also determined to carry out a large-scale modernization of the highway and railway network along this ITC, with an eye on future flows of goods from Iran to the Persian Gulf.
To note, since its inception in 2000, the North-South ITC has grown to include fourteen nations.
