The government in Yerevan is very likely to come out with a statement soon to clarify its position on a project calling for construction of a railway linking Armenia with Iran, Armenian deputy minister of transport and communication Artur Arakelyan said to the parliament.
Arakelyan said the project is very important for the government which will make a clear statement to that end, arka.am informs.
He, however, noted that the most important condition for the beginning of the construction of the railway is the lifting of economic sanctions from Iran.
The agreement on the construction of the rail link was approved by Armenian and Iranian governments in 2009. In 2012, the Dubai-based Rasia FZE Investment Company was granted a 50-year concession by the Armenian government to build and manage the 305-kilometer railway from Armenia to Iran, to be named the Southern Armenian Railway (SAR).
By late 2013 Rasia FZE developed a feasibility study for the project, estimated to cost USD 3.5 billion. The high cost is explained by mountainous terrain through which it is supposed to pass. Specifically, the 305 km-long railway will have 19.6 km-long 64 bridges and 60 tunnels of 102.3 kilometers.
The Southern Armenia Railway will create the shortest transportation route from the ports of the Black Sea to the ports of the Persian Gulf.
Photo: www.armenianow.com
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