Ayatollah Khamenei: Iran determined to complete key transit corridor

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has expressed Iran's determination to complete a key transit corridor, which travels through the Islamic Republic linking the countries lying to its north to the Sea of Oman.

"Given the important place of overland and rail communications in the global economy, we are determined to complete the north-south transit route," Ayatollah Khamenei said in Tehran on Wednesday, meeting with the visiting Chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow.

The route would "link Turkmenistan and the countries around it to the Sea of Oman," the Leader noted.

Iran is a party to the International North-South Transport Corridor, which is a 7,200-kilometer- (4,473-mile) long multi-mode network of ship, rail, and road routes for moving freight among the country, Central Asia, India, Azerbaijan, Russia, and the rest of Europe.

Therefore, by enjoying access to Iran as a transit hub, the landlocked Central Asian states would be able to access the global transit network.

Ayatollah Khamenei also pointed to a request made by the Turkmen official for Iranian specialists and experts to help build a highway running from the vicinity of Iran and Turkmenistan's border to the Caspian Sea, saying Iran's Ministry of Roads and Urban Development was capable of setting up such an overland route.

On bilateral ties

The Leader, meanwhile, considered Iran and Turkmenistan to have much in common in terms of culture.

"The instances of cultural commonality serve as an important foundation for further expansion of the [bilateral] relations in various areas, especially in the fields of energy and roads," Ayatollah Khamenei stated.

The Leader noted that there was room for further expansion of bilateral cooperation as far as the mutual commercial ties were concerned, saying the Islamic Republic was prepared to engage in such cooperation.

Ayatollah Khamenei expressed optimism regarding the future of the countries' relations, saying the increase in bilateral cooperation stands to enhance the countries' standing in the constantly-changing current global circumstances.

For his part, the Turkmen official expressed delight over attending the meeting, saying he had benefited from the Leader's vantage points and pieces of advice on numerous occasions in the past, including his former tenure as Turkmenistan's president.

"In this meeting too, I am after benefiting from such advice towards [enabling] implementation of great projects in Turkmenistan," Berdimuhamedow said.

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The official also pointed to his earlier talks with other Iranian authorities, noting how the meetings had resulted in the conclusion of "good agreements," especially some enabling participation of Iranian experts in road construction as well as water, electricity, and gas projects in Turkmenistan.

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