Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister held a meeting in Tehran on Saturday with Asset Assavbayev, Secretary General of Transport Corridor Europe Caucasus Asia (TRACECA), during which Assavbayev said the purpose of his visit to Iran was to highlight maximum exploitation of Iran’s transit routes for the transfer of goods from Central Asian countries to Europe.

The Secretary General of TRACECA added: “Currently, the volume of goods transported from Central Asia to Europe via the Caspian Sea and the Republic of Azerbaijan exceeds the existing capacity, and therefore the routes through Iran have become very important”.

Safari, for its part, pointed out that Iran’s railways and roads are among the safest and most secure routes in the world.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister in charge of Economic Diplomacy added that Iran has good infrastructure and large transit capacities to meet the international need for goods transit.

He also highlighted the facilitation of visa issuance for drivers from TRACECA Member States to use Iran’s transit routes while calling on TRACECA to facilitate visa procedures for returning Iranian drivers.

TRACECA is an international transport program based in Baku that includes the European Union and 12 member states from the regions of Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia. The objective of the program is to strengthen economic, trade and transport relations in the regions of the Black Sea basin, the South Caucasus and Central Asia.

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