Iran and Turkey have agreed to build a new joint railway that will serve as a strategic gateway between Asia and Europe, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced.
The planned route, which will stretch to the Aralik border region of Turkey, will have a length of about 200 kilometers, according to preliminary estimates, the construction will take three to four years.
Earlier this month, Iran’s Transport Minister Farzane Sadegh announced that the railway would turn the southern part of the former Silk Road into a “corridor that will ensure the continuity of railways between China and Europe with minimal stops”.
In 2013, China announced the One Belt One Road initiative, officially known as the New Silk Road, a project that aims to build maritime, road and rail infrastructure to boost global trade.
Iran is seeking to expand infrastructure and trade with neighboring countries to revive an economy battered by decades of international sanctions.