Iranian Diplomat Highlights Vital Importance of North-South Highway

Iranian expert Vardan Voskanian's commentary:

On January 27, in a comprehensive interview with Armenpress, Abbas Badakhshan Zohuri, the Iranian Ambassador to Armenia, clearly stated that in Iran's international transportation hub project linking the Persian Gulf to the Black Sea, official Tehran considers the North-South highway through the Syunik region as the primary transit route, rather than the railway from Julfa (Iran) to Jugha (Nakhichevan) and then to Yeraskh (Armenia).

Notably, in mentioning this twice, the Iranian diplomat distinctly emphasized that even with the unblocking of communication routes, the proposed railway options cannot warrant overlooking the importance of the highway that ensures direct overland communication between Yerevan and Tehran, passing through Armenia’s Syunik region. Thus, the construction of the North-South highway should remain a priority.

Taking into account the Iranian side's stance, it is also essential for Armenia to clearly state that ensuring the internal and external secure communications and development of our state requires prioritizing the North-South highway, not the “continental” Azerbaijan-Nakhichevan-Turkey railway connection through the Meghri region, which is secondary in comparison. The North-South highway should serve as the corridor for both the Iranian “Persian Gulf-Black Sea” and the Indian “North-South” transportation hubs.