MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Iranian businessmen have expressed interest in exploring a trade route connecting Iran with Crimea through the Caspian Sea, Russian media reported on Tuesday, citing Georgy Muradov, Crimea’s permanent representative under the Russian president.
The trade route would connect Crimea’s ports with Iran’s Caspian coast via the Volga-Don Canal, Muradov told the Izvestiya newspaper, adding that this route was “the shortest and most efficient one.”
Automobile and rail transport between Crimea and Iran would also develop because of the newly built Crimea bridge, which the Russian authorities opened to traffic in May, Muradov suggested.
“Trade will be facilitated by the launch of rail traffic. The planned rail route is Crimea – the North Caucasus – Azerbaijan – Iran,” Muradov pointed out.
Crimean authorities also planned to establish trade relations with Syria, which was also interested in conducting trade with the region, the newspaper pointed out. This issue would be addressed during the upcoming visit of Crimean lawmakers to Damascus in September, Muradov noted.
Crimea became a part of Russia as a result of a referendum in 2014 when over 90 percent of the peninsula’s residents backed the reunification.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
