1-North South Transport Corridor (NSTC)

1.1  Founders and Members

The North-South Transport Corridor (NSTC) was established on 12 September 2000 in Saint Petersburg by three states of Iran, Russia and India to promote the transport cooperation among the member states. This corridor connects the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea through Iran and connects them to the Saint Petersburg and Northern Europe through Russia. Now, this corridor is expanded by ten new members. These members are: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine, Belarus, Oman, and Syria.  Bulgaria is also involved as an observer member in the corridor. The Islamic Republic of Iran is elected as the trustee member state to inform other contracting parties about the adherence of other states to the agreement or withdrawal of any contracting parties.

2.2. Objectives

1-     Development of transport relations for the purpose of organizing the passenger and freight transport in north-south transport corridor

2-     To increase the access of the contracting parties of this agreement to global market through rail, road, sea, river, and air transport facilities.

3-     Help to increase the volume of international passenger and freight transport.

4-     Ensuring the travel security, product safety and environment protection based on international standards.

5-     Harmonization of transport policies and underpinning the transport rules and regulations for executing the agreement

6-     Providing equal condition for suppliers of freight and passenger transport services in the contracting parties within the framework of north-south transport corridor.

2-East West Transport Corridor (Ancient Silk Road)

 Through the east west transport corridor, which is also called ancient Silk Road, the transit goods of China and Central Asia in east and northeast can be transported through Iran to the Caucasus, Western Europe, and Mediterranean Sea; also, the good produced in these areas can be transited to the markets in China and Central Asia. The Iranian route of east west transport corridor passes the northeastern borders including Dogharoon, Sarakhs, Bajgiran, Lotf Abad, and Inchboron toward the exit western and northwestern borders including: Jolfa, Bazargan, Sarv, Razi, Tamarchin, Bashmaq, Khosravi and vice versa. In Sarakhs-Razi route, there is a railway access as long as 2008 km with the transport capacity of 2 million tons.

3- South Asia Corridor

This route starts from the southeastern Asia, passes the Indian Subcontinent, enters the southeastern borders of Iranian territory through Mirjaveh, leaves the Iranian territory through the northwest borders including Bazargan, Razi, and Khosravi (in the Turkey and Iraq borders) , and continues toward Europe and Mediterranean Sea.

The length of this route in the Mirjaveh-Razi Axis is 2496 km. Besides, to develop the transit-rail connection and establish the rail connection between Iran, Iraq and the area of Mediterranean Sea, a railway was constructed in the Arak-Khosravi axis as long as 620 km which will lead to transit development in the east-west and south Asia corridors toward western Asia and  Mediterranean Sea.

4-Transport Corridor of Europe Caucasus Asia (TRACECA)

The Transport Corridor of Europe Caucasus Asia (TRACECA) program was launched at a conference in Brussels in May 1993 which brought together trade and transport ministers from the original eight TRACECA countries (five Central Asian republics and three Caucasian republics). At the conference, a transport corridor was defined on a west-east axis from Europe, across the Black Sea, through the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea to Central Asia.

The main purposes of the European Union in the TRACECA corridor are as follows:

- Political and economic support of the independence of the republics and elevation of their capacities through giving access to the global and European markets via various transport routes.

-Developing regional cooperation among the member states.

-Using TRACECA as a catalyst to attract the support of international financial organizations and the private sector.

-Connecting TRACECA to the Trans Europe network.

TRACECA members include Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Bulgaria Moldova, Romania, Turkey, and Ukraine,