Russia, Azerbaijan, and Iran are stepping up efforts to create a joint trade market and barrier-free logistics network stretching from the Barents and Baltic Seas to the Persian Gulf, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksei Overchuk announced during a trilateral meeting in Baku.
According to Russian and Azerbaijani media reports, the talks focused on transport, energy, and customs cooperation among the three neighboring countries.
“We have a great deal of work ahead aimed at forming a common goods market with harmonized rules and standards,” Overchuk said. “Close and dynamically developing relations among Russia, Azerbaijan, and Iran provide a strong foundation for coordinated action to expand regional connectivity and ensure seamless logistics across this vast corridor.”
Stay Ahead with Azerbaijan.usGet exclusive translations, top stories, and analysis — straight to your inbox.
He noted that the initiative would help create competitive conditions for producers, exporters, and importers in all three nations.
The deputy prime minister added that in 2025 alone, 176,077 transport vehicles have already moved cargo through the North-South International Transport Corridor, a route that links Russia and Northern Europe with the Persian Gulf via Azerbaijan and Iran.
The volume of cargo between Russia and Azerbaijan increased by 13 percent in the first half of 2025, reaching 6.8 million tons, while Russia’s imports from Azerbaijan rose by 9.5 percent to $742.4 million in the first seven months of the year.
Overchuk emphasized that customs infrastructure on the Russian–Azerbaijani border has been modernized to increase throughput fivefold, from 400 to 1,900 trucks per day, with expansion projects underway at the Novo-Filya, Tagirkent-Kazmalyar, and Yarag-Kazmalyar checkpoints. Once completed, their combined capacity will exceed 3,000 trucks daily.
The official also highlighted a 33 percent increase in trade between Russia and Iran, noting that growth along the North–South corridor will likely accelerate as new road and rail connections are completed.
