BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 5. Qatar is exploring the possibility of joining the North-South International Transport Corridor (ITC), TurkicWorld reports.
"Russian industry agencies are discussing with their colleagues from Qatar the prospect of Qatar joining the North-South ITC," the information notes.
Previously, on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Astana, this idea was voiced by Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting with Emir of the State of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (the transcript of the meeting is published on the Kremlin website).
"The investment cooperation from both sides continues. Our central banks are working. A dialog is underway on Qatar's possible connection to the North-South transport corridor," Vladimir Putin noted.
Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani stated that Qatar's investments in the Russian economy reach about $13 billion, and the state "intends to increase this figure."
To note, the North-South International Transport Corridor is a 7,200 km multimodal route that connects St. Petersburg with the ports of Iran and India.
It is an alternative to the sea route connecting Europe, the Persian Gulf countries, and the Indian Ocean via the Suez Canal.
The western and eastern branches of the ITC pass through Iran: the western branch provides for transportation through Iran by road via Rasht, and the eastern branch by rail. The final point in Iran is the port of Bandar Abbas, from which cargo can be delivered to India by sea. The western branch also passes through Azerbaijan, while the eastern branch passes through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
