Shahin Mustafayev: “New bridge to prevent traffic jams on Iran-Azerbaijan border”

Construction of a new road bridge over the Astarachay will prevent traffic jams on the Iranian-Azerbaijani border, Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev said, while answering reporters’ questions at the groundbreaking ceremony of the bridge, Report‘s correspondent in Astara informs.

“When we arrived, we saw many trucks parked along the road. This is due to the poor condition [of the bridge]. This bridge will also prevent traffic jams. The North-South transport corridor has two components. One of them is the railway. The railway bridge was built and put into operation several years ago. We are currently standing on that bridge. Another bridge is being built in Astara. Its construction will also be completed by the end of this year.

“The other component is a road. As you know, the road bridge was built in the 1950s of the XX century, it is old. There was also a traffic jam on this bridge. Congestion caused a slowdown in traffic and had a negative impact on efficiency. Therefore, the governments of both countries decided to have a new bridge built. Today is a very important day. Together with my Iranian counterpart, we laid the foundation of the bridge, a new bridge will be built,” Mustafayev said.

According to him, in general, there is a great demand for the North-South transport corridor.

“A number of measures are being taken to expand border checkpoints on the Azerbaijani-Russian border. The elimination of these problems on both borders will increase the volume of cargo transportation through the North-South corridor.

The deputy prime minister spoke about the effectiveness of his meetings with the Iranian minister:

“Iran-Azerbaijan relations are moving forward. The Iranian minister of roads and urban development is visiting Azerbaijan. We held many meetings and discussions. One of the main directions of our relations is transport and transit. The North-South transport corridor is operating and the Persian Gulf-Black Sea route is being launched.”

Mustafayev highlighted the opportunities to be provided by the bridge under construction: “The two-year-long pandemic has affected trade relations among countries. But there is no such problem between Iran and Azerbaijan. We have never stopped trade or exports. Our trade turnover has increased by 30% compared to the previous year. The increase in freight is 62%. Nevertheless, there is a demand. If there is a demand, we must create conditions. Today we started one of the planned activities. In a year, this construction will be completed and better conditions will be created. Our people will live better and our incomes will increase.”