On October 13, an intergovernmental meeting of representatives of Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran started in Baku, dedicated to the activation of the North–South International Transport Corridor (ITC) project. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk, Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev and Iranian Minister Farzane Sadegh agreed on a number of serious steps to develop the route.
The main arrangements include:
- to increase the cargo flow of the corridor to 15 million tons of cargo,
- ensure stable growth of transportation along the corridor,
- To form a working group from the customs, transport and border agencies of the three countries, which will prepare an action plan within three months.,
- to conduct joint inspections of infrastructure sites on October 14,
- Accelerate the construction and expansion of transport infrastructure along the route, as well as the digitalization of border and customs administration.
The North–South MTK is a multimodal route with a length of about 7.2 thousand km, which connects the Russian part of the route (northern Europe) with ports and routes of India through Iran and Azerbaijan. The project is designed to significantly reduce transit time and distance compared to traditional routes through the Suez Canal, where delivery takes 45-60 days. In the future, the route may be integrated with the Transarctic Transport Corridor, expanding access to the Indian Ocean and the Middle East.
The route is currently represented by three key branches:
- western (along the western shore of the Caspian Sea) — requires the construction of the Rasht–Astara railway line in Iran;
- eastern (route through Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan) with connection to the Iranian network;
- Trans—Caspian - through the Caspian Sea with cargo transportation through the Russian ports of Astrakhan, Olya and Makhachkala.
As for the current figures: in the first half of 2025, more than 176.7 thousand shipments passed through the Russian-Azerbaijani border, which is 10% more than in the same period of 2024. Cargo turnover increased by 13% to 6.8 million tons. According to estimates by the Eurasian Development Bank, by 2030 the volume of traffic along the corridor could reach $25-32 million, and the carrying capacity could reach 30-35 million tons by 2030-2035.
The advantages of MTK North–South are obvious: reducing the route by almost half, reducing delivery time, increasing the competitiveness of Russian exporters and strengthening logistics links with South Asia. Nevertheless, the implementation of the project faces challenges: the need to complete infrastructure sections, coordination between countries, unification of customs and border procedures, overcoming sanctions restrictions and financial support for large-scale work.
If the countries fulfill the agreements and create working mechanisms, the project can become one of the main logistics corridors of the 21st century, changing the configuration of transit trade between Asia and Europe.
