Whole region to benefit from Iran-Central Asia rail

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani says the railroad connecting Iran to two Central Asian countries of Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan will benefit the whole region.

Rouhani made the remarks Wednesday in a ceremony to put the railroad into service in the Turkmen city of Inche Boroun on the Iran-Turkmenistan border where his Kazakh and Turkmen counterparts, Nursultan Nazarbayev and Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, were also present.

The Iranian president described the inauguration ceremony as “memorable and historic”.

The railway aims to facilitate transportation for the three countries and the whole region, Rouhani said.

“Today is a happy day for the countries in the region and all countries that can use the railway,” Rouhani said, adding that the day ushers in a new beginning for better interaction among regional nations.

Rouhani further noted that the railway will make the transportation of commodities among the countries cheaper, and also make economic cooperation between them more profitable.

He also said that the railway has the potential to transport millions of tons of commodities and thousands of passengers annually, saying the capacity should be increased.

The railway can connect great countries like Russia, China, Pakistan, Turkey and Iraq to the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.

The railway is 920 kilometers in length and will shorten the distance between the Persian Gulf, Central Asia and Europe.