Page 50 - IRANRptSep20

Landlocked Uzbeks get trade access to Sea of Oman via Afghanistan, Iran transit corridor
Iran, Russia to launch Caspian Sea cargo ferry service between Bandar Azali and Dagestan
Iran, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan have launched a direct transit corridor that gives the landlocked Uzbeks access to the Sea of Oman, IRNA reported on August 10.
Uzbek goods including cotton and plastics will be shipped from Iran’s sole oceanic port, Chabahar, the development of which the US has exempted from sanctions, particularly due to its importance to the economic progress of conflict-torn Afghanistan.
According to the director of transit of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA), Mostafa Ayati, the “trans-Afghan” corridor was launched with the departure of trucks from Iran for Uzbekistan as part of a pilot project.
“For the first time, two trucks set off from Iran’s Shaheed Rajaee Port to the destination of Uzbekistan, using Afghanistan as a link route,” Ayati said.
The Iranian official added that the transit route is a low-cost project which can play a key role in boosting trade and economic cooperation in the region.
The volume of trade between Iran and Uzbekistan at the moment remains low, with just a few thousand tonnes of imports and exports annually.
The Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Iran route was first announced in 2009.
Iran and Russia are to launch a Caspian Sea cargo ferry service between the two countries, IRNA has reported.
Bilateral trade between Iran and Russia has increased significantly since Iran entered into a temporary two-year preferential trade agreement (PTA) with Russia and other members of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) last October.
The cargo ferry would likely sail between Bandar Azali in northern Iran and Derbent in Dagestan, Russia in the North Caucasus. The last time there was a ferry connection between the two ports was three centuries ago, according to local reports in Dagestan.
“For many years, due to a lack of seagoing container ships on the Caspian Sea, Iran has not been able to increase its supply of agricultural and food products to Russia,” Jalil Jalilifar, a member of the Russian-Iranian Chamber of Commerce said.
According to Jalilifar, the route would increase the speed of delivery for some Iranian exports to Russia. Presently these goods take a land route via Azerbaijan, he added.
In August last year, head of the Republic of Dagestan, Vladimir Vasiliev, speaking of the envisaged ferry service linking Bandar Azali and Derbent (or Darband, meaning “gateway” in Persian), noted that the Iranian port was an ancient frontier city and “Derbent, like a magnet, attracts Iran, strongly attracts [Iran], and it [the ferry link] will work.”
He added: “They [Iran] are also ready to establish flights with us, and we will meet halfway, and everything will work.”
9.1.5​ Tourism sector news
Iran is set to launch a 10-language advertising campaign to attract tourists. The languages would include Russian and Chinese, Mehr News Agency reported.
Prior to the US leaving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in May 2018 and reintroducing heavy sanctions, Iran was working on plans to become a regional tourism and transit hub. Those efforts have largely been mothballed, while the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic now poses another huge hurdle to
50​ IRAN Country Report September 2020 www.intellinews.com