Publish Date: 5 August 2014 - 10:06

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is to visit Oman on Tuesday to attend the quadripartite ministerial meeting of Iran, Oman, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

The meeting is to be held in Muscat on the occasion of inaugurating the North-South Corridor, which facilitates transportation of goods from Central Asia to the Persian Gulf via Iran.

 

The North-South Corridor links Uzen in Kazakhstan to Gyzylgaya-Bereket-Etrek in Turkmenistan and ends at Gorgan in the Iranian province of Golestan. It is connected to Iran’s national rail network, making its way to the Persian Gulf ports.

 

The 900-kilometer railroad also links Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to Iran. Three to five million tons of cargo are to be transported through the route annually. The figure could reach 12 million tons.

 

In May, Iran officially inaugurated the segment of the railroad connecting Gorgan to the town of Incheh Borun along the border with Turkmenistan.

 

Iran and Oman enjoy good relations and Tehran has the closest ties with Muscat among the six Persian Gulf littoral states.

 

Oman’s Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said was the first official guest of President Hassan Rouhani after the latter took office in August 2013.