Vladimir Putin has discussed the Rasht-Astara railway and the International North-South Transport Corridor during his recent visit to the Republic of Azerbaijan, Russian president's aide Igor Levitin says.

According to The Iran Project, Putin focused the talks on the establishment of the railway project in the west of the corridor which aims to transport 15 million metric tons of goods, Igor Levitin said in a meeting held in Moscow on Monday with Iran’s Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali.

In the meeting, Levitin expressed his readiness to travel to Tehran to hold talks with new cabinet members and follow up on the joint economic projects.

Jalali also said that in 2023, some 650,000 metric tons of commodities were transported from the eastern part of the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC) for the first time, adding that transportation of goods from the Caspian Sea on the corridor route raised to 10 million metric tons in 2023 while it was six million metric tons in 2022.

The western part of the INSTC which passes through Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran could transport over three million metric tons of goods in 2023, while the maximum amount of exchange has been 1.5 to 2 million metric tons in the previous years, according to Jalali.

He further said the Iranian officials make efforts to enhance all-out ties with Russia, and this enhancement will be accelerated during the tenure of the new Iranian administration.

Members and observers of the INSTC include Iran, India, Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkiye, Ukraine, Belarus, Oman, Syria and Bulgaria.  Azerbaijan joined the corridor in 2005.