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00:00:00we will start our conversation. have followed and should up. They This is East Azerbaijan. still need
00:00:04The focal point of international to follow up. If this path, if this event, if this resolution does not happen, it will turn into a national security issue. When the Supreme National Security Council intervenes in an issue, it means the issue is becoming a national security issue. If we don't address it, if we don't take action on the part of the Central Corridor that belongs to us, look, they are doing this work above. That is, in the Azerbaijan-Armenia section, this is happening with American management. If we don't take action, if we don't intervene, its detailed plan, it was done, and we were forced to change this route and could not acquire land. On the other hand, towards the Sahand freeway and the Dieselabad intersection in Tabriz, no land acquisition had been done because the route's variant had been changed before. The initial variant was returned due to the talks, and for this reason, we could not acquire land there either. In this one-year period you mentioned, it was only that one kilometer, part of which if the gentlemen are not concerned about this event, if they don't accelerate this matter, it is possible that in the coming years, the old Central Corridor will no longer exist. We expect the gentlemen to take this national issue a bit more seriously and hopefully resolve it. All right, Mr. Najafian, please also mention the Kalal-Julfa axis, that border line that exists in the lower part of the Republic of Azerbaijan-Armenia. we have not given enough speed to complete these corridors. What are you doing in the parliament to, in any case, use the tools you have to make the government accelerate these matters? What else are you doing? First, Mr. Najafian, three months ago, when this responsibility was again entrusted to Mr. Bazvand, we will certainly suffer. A task that can be done in the province with a free hand will certainly not be opened in the center, no matter what we say. I myself told Mr. Bazvand, "Sir, this is a provincial matter." Just as, in any case, all friends can prevent it. It is not very difficult. Anyway, it requires effort, but it should be done quickly. And I regret that this task was again referred to the center. Now, this discussion, anyway, our substitution. We have duties. These discussions that I was the head of the provincial assembly, we pursue multiple projects from the ministry, whether in the form of a reminder or in the form of oversight, a question, or whether we ourselves go to these projects. From the Civil Commission, Mr. Najafian also knows that we brought the commission to the province three times. That is, the head of the Civil Commission, Mr. Reza, with friends from the commission, came and saw the projects. What stage is it in? Look, let me tell you, this axis, this road, or main road is geopolitical. That's why they got the approval from the Supreme National Security Council to build this project, and in addition to upgrading and widening it, it will improve the Iranian road that is inside the country. Only the base layer, cabling, and lighting are left, and hopefully in the next week or two, it will be connected to the main road and put into operation. In addition to this, look, the extension of projects or inflation causes the initial estimate for the completion of the project to be paid in that amount, but then more money is needed. Now, the initial estimate for this project was 5. budgets and priorities that exist now that we are talking about. We must trust the private sector and hand over the work, just like other projects. We should just supervise. Otherwise, if we wait for the government to provide money, it won't happen. Right. The discussion about the elders. Mr. Aslankhani, this project is 20 years old. A convention was held there, and the government signed it. 14 countries. If it were active, yes, we could transfer at least 200 million tons of cargo through Eurasia to various countries. Well, the government has indeed grasped this importance now, but the financial situation and allocations for corridors, freeways, and highways, we have problems everywhere, and we hope that, in any case, Dr. Pezeshkian's government, based on the importance they currently attach to it, will expedite this work. We also, as members of the commission and on issues that are raised, bring the commission, follow up, and write letters. You should try harder, Mr. Novin. If a plan has been pending for over twenty years, if it is related to the relevant government corridors and a key
00:00:07alternative route for connecting Asia to Europe.
00:00:10A place where amidst the hustle and bustle of parallel
00:00:14corridors and complex Caucasus equations, men of
00:00:17road and steel have decided to shape the region's transit
00:00:21map in favor of national interests. Across East
00:00:24Azerbaijan, workshops are operating to prove that
00:00:28borders are no longer the finish line, but rather
00:00:31the forefront of the country's economic power. One of
00:00:35these is the 17-kilometer Julfa-Kalale axis, a strategic
00:00:38section of the central corridor from China to Europe, linking
00:00:41Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan through Iranian territory.
00:00:45This project, with about 40% progress in three sections,
00:00:48solidifies Iran's position in the geopolitics of the
00:00:51northwest.
00:00:58The inauguration of this route means a dramatic increase
00:01:01in transit revenues and the neutralization of any regional
00:01:05isolation scenario. A little further, another vital
00:01:08artery in the form of the North-South Corridor is rapidly
00:01:12taking shape: the 66-kilometer Varzeqan-Norduz
00:01:14highway. This project connects
00:01:18the capital to the Aras corridor and the Aras
00:01:21border, and the countries of Central Asia.
00:01:25A project with a 6 trillion Toman investment that shortens
00:01:28the distance from the capital and Tabriz to Eurasia
00:01:31and Armenia by 65 kilometers.
00:01:34And now, the main artery, the Tabriz-Marand-Bazargan
00:01:38freeway, which is 250
00:01:40kilometers long and is under construction. This project
00:01:44is the transit identity of northwest Iran. East
00:01:48Azerbaijan has a 150-kilometer share of this freeway,
00:01:51the first phase of which has been put into operation, and
00:01:55now it's time for the second phase, 8 kilometers
00:01:58long, on the verge of operation. By accelerating
00:02:02the completion of this freeway, the time for Iranian
00:02:06goods to reach the heart of Europe will be shortened,
00:02:09and this means a greater
00:02:10share of international trade.
00:02:14In the west of the province, the 168-kilometer Tabriz-Urmia
00:02:18freeway is taking its last breaths for final connection,
00:02:22especially section six, which is the third 34-kilometer
00:02:25ring road of Tabriz, a missing link of the Tehran-Bazargan
00:02:28freeway, which will permanently relieve the heavy traffic
00:02:32on the dangerous Shahid Kasaei highway.
00:02:3634 kilometers from the beginning of the project,
00:02:3916 kilometers, over 90% of its implementation operations
00:02:42have been completed. And now, from the Elkhichi
00:02:46bottleneck, the western and southern gate of the
00:02:49province, where a 19-year traffic bottleneck has delayed
00:02:53travelers, "our lives are wasted
00:02:56here, gasoline is wasted." Good news is on the way.
00:03:05East Azerbaijan,
00:03:08in the battle for road development, is a bastion
00:03:11of the national economy. Projects from Bazargan to
00:03:15Aras, whose opening we have witnessed, all pursue
00:03:19one goal: strengthening Iran's geopolitical weight.
00:03:22Now, the ball is in the court of project funding,
00:03:26where every rial of investment yields multiple returns
00:03:29in the areas of trade and national security.
00:03:32Ghorbani, IRIB News Agency, Tabriz.
00:03:36Thank you to Ms. Ghorbani for preparing this report. Mr. Najafian,
00:03:40welcome. These projects and plans
00:03:42that we saw part of in this report are noteworthy.
00:03:46They are important projects, but the progress in them
00:03:50is slow. The movement is slow. Why?
00:03:53In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
00:03:57Mr. Aslankhani, I greet you,
00:04:00your honorable colleagues, and all viewers.
00:04:03Good day. Let me first
00:04:07give a report on the provincial
00:04:09projects, and then I will return to your
00:04:13question. As you said, and it was also in this
00:04:16report, East Azerbaijan province has a strategic
00:04:20geographical position. It borders Armenia
00:04:23and Azerbaijan, and connects to Turkey
00:04:27and Iraq through West Azerbaijan province.
00:04:30This makes this province a gateway
00:04:33for access and economic and trade exchanges
00:04:37with European and Eurasian countries. This requires
00:04:40infrastructure, and the main
00:04:43infrastructure is the transportation network. This province,
00:04:47in its current state, has
00:04:50the capabilities for freeways and
00:04:54highways. We need to speed up
00:04:58the construction of the
00:05:13roads that are currently under construction.
00:05:17As you saw in the report,
00:05:20most of the projects are active. These
00:05:23are special projects that complete
00:05:27the East-West and South-North corridors
00:05:30that connect the country to the Bazargan
00:05:34border and Europe. The projects
00:05:36are under construction. The
00:05:40only problem is sometimes
00:05:43the lack of financial resources.
00:05:46If the projects are funded
00:05:49on time and according to the
00:05:53allocated budget, and the
00:05:56money is paid on time,
00:06:00then these projects can be completed
00:06:03within the timeframe
00:06:06we have set for them. Not only will people
00:06:10benefit from this, but it will also
00:06:13be important for the economy
00:06:16of the province, the region, and the
00:06:20entire country. The main problem is securing financial resources.
00:06:24Sometimes there are also issues with
00:06:28land acquisition for projects. When a
00:06:31project starts, its plan and
00:06:34design have already been studied and
00:06:38completed. What can delay its implementation
00:06:41is the lack of timely allocation of
00:06:44financial resources or problems with
00:06:48land acquisition. If these main issues
00:06:52are resolved, the progress of our active projects
00:06:55can be accelerated
00:06:58and made available to the people
00:07:02and the country. Now, let's talk
00:07:05about it in detail. For
00:07:09example, the Tabriz-Marand-Bazargan freeway project,
00:07:12which reaches Turkey, and
00:07:15then the Kalal-Julfa axis, which is also very
00:07:19important. You also have the Tabriz-Ozqan-Norduz
00:07:22corridor, which reaches Armenia.
00:07:26You said these projects are
00:07:29underway. How are they doing?
00:07:33Is someone working on them or
00:07:36not? Are they a priority
00:07:40for the province? Are all these
00:07:43projects provincial priorities or
00:07:47not? For example, they
00:07:50are all under construction, but
00:07:54let's see what happens. No,
00:07:57let me tell you. We currently
00:08:01have three freeways
00:08:04under construction, all of which
00:08:07are priorities. We have 14
00:08:11highways
00:08:42and main roads under construction,
00:08:46some of which are truly priorities.
00:08:49Regarding the freeway, if you
00:08:52allow me, I will report
00:08:55on each of these projects.
00:08:59Tell us about the Tabriz-Marand-Bazargan
00:09:03freeway first. The Tabriz-Marand-Bazargan
00:09:06is a project that is 64
00:09:10kilometers from Tabriz to
00:09:14Marand, and its continuation,
00:09:18since the project is 187
00:09:21kilometers long, is from Marand
00:09:24to Bazargan. This means that
00:09:28in another month, we will have
00:09:31the return lane ready
00:09:34for the people. We are doing
00:09:38our best to finish it by
00:09:41the end of
00:09:53the year. From kilometer 46
00:09:57to kilometer 64, which
00:10:00is the Marand bypass, it
00:10:03has not yet been implemented
00:10:07due to financial constraints. Our
00:10:10request, the province's request, is to
00:10:14ensure that financial resources are
00:10:18injected. During the upcoming visit
00:10:22of the esteemed President of the
00:10:25Islamic Republic to our province,
00:10:28our governor has been
00:10:31following up, and the ministry
00:10:34is also following up to ensure
00:10:38that resources are allocated so
00:10:41that these 64 kilometers are
00:10:44completed. However, the 64 kilometers
00:10:48to Bazargan, its studies
00:10:52have been completed, but
00:10:56we are currently choosing a partner
00:10:59for investment. This is very
00:11:02essential; if it is not
00:11:06done, our corridor, which
00:11:10was supposed to come from
00:11:13Sarakhs to Bazargan, or
00:11:17from Bandar Abbas to Bazargan,
00:11:21will only reach Marand. The section
00:11:25from Marand onwards needs
00:11:29to be accelerated. That is,
00:11:32the demand. We are working
00:11:35on the corridors, and we have
00:11:39focused more on their importance
00:11:42than on the corridors themselves.
00:11:46This has been the case not
00:11:49only in this government but
00:11:53in various governments. Is
00:11:57completing these corridors a
00:12:00priority or not? In
00:12:03the name of God, the Most
00:12:06Gracious, the Most Merciful.
00:12:10I greet you and dear
00:12:13viewers.
00:12:15Mr. Esfahani, yes, it
00:12:18is certainly a priority.
00:12:22That is, in the discussion
00:12:26of political economy, we
00:12:28have an important component
00:12:31called passageways, corridors, or
00:12:35communication routes, which are actually
00:12:38decisive for a country.
00:12:42Perhaps Iran is one of
00:12:45the most exceptional countries in
00:12:49the world in terms of being
00:12:52located at the crossroads of
00:12:55global corridors. If dear
00:12:58viewers do a search on
00:13:01the internet, they can search
00:13:05for "Iran as a global
00:13:09corridor" or "global crossroads,"
00:13:13and an image will appear
00:13:16showing many crossroads, roads,
00:13:19and routes, both land and
00:13:22rail, passing through Iran.
00:13:26Well, two of the most
00:13:29important of these are the
00:13:33old Central Corridor and
00:13:37the important North-South Corridor,
00:13:40which comes from Cape
00:13:43Comorin, India, passes through
00:13:47the Persian Gulf from
00:13:50Chabahar, and reaches East Azerbaijan, West
00:13:54Azerbaijan, and Ardabil
00:14:04provinces. These show the
00:14:07importance of corridors in
00:14:11our country. East Azerbaijan
00:14:13also has this potential. However,
00:14:17how much attention has been paid to this issue
00:14:20in our political economy across
00:14:24governments—not just this government,
00:14:27but previous governments—whether
00:14:30it has been a concern
00:14:34to address or accelerate
00:14:37it, truly needs to be
00:14:40discussed. We have a period
00:14:44where, by order of
00:14:47the Supreme National Security
00:14:51Council, they are forced
00:14:55to open a route or
00:14:58start working on it. This
00:15:02is the Aras corridor, which
00:15:05is being worked on inside
00:15:08Iran, in response to the
00:15:12Zangazur corridor. That is,
00:15:15work progresses to a point
00:15:18where, unfortunately, projects are
00:15:22left unfinished until the
00:15:34Supreme National Security Council
00:15:37intervenes. This is its importance.
00:15:41Well, Iran is a large
00:15:44country. East Azerbaijan province
00:15:47is one of the four economic
00:15:51provinces of Iran. It is
00:15:54the gate to Europe and
00:15:58the gate to Russia. It
00:16:02connects to three or four
00:16:05countries, which of course doubles
00:16:09and multiplies the importance
00:16:12of addressing this issue.
00:16:15Let me tell you something.
00:16:19In the 1980s, when we
00:16:21were engaged in the 8-year
00:16:24war, almost 70%
00:16:27of our country's imports came
00:16:30through the Julfa border.
00:16:34That is, this potential
00:16:36has existed in this province
00:16:40for 40 years. Now,
00:16:44how we utilize and strengthen
00:16:48this potential is up to
00:16:51the governments, and I think
00:16:54the political and economic
00:16:58dimensions are very important.
00:17:02It needs to be addressed,
00:17:05and its importance should be
00:17:08elevated. All right, Mr.
00:17:12Alireza Novin, the respected
00:17:15Member of Parliament, who is also
00:17:18a member of the Parliament's Civil Commission,
00:17:22is with us. Hello, Mr.
00:17:25Novin. Hello. Good
00:17:29day to you and your
00:17:32dear guests. Thank you very much. Mr.
00:17:36Novin, we are talking
00:17:39about the corridors in
00:17:42East Azerbaijan province, but
00:17:46what is being observed is that their completion
00:17:50is progressing very slowly.
00:17:53Why? Yes.
00:17:56Based on the policies
00:18:00of the late Imam and
00:18:03the Ministry of Housing and
00:18:07Urban Development, as well as
00:18:11Article 119 of the Seventh
00:18:14Development Plan, the government
00:18:17has certain obligations for
00:18:21carrying out affairs.
00:18:24We now have nine rail
00:18:28corridors and almost seven
00:18:32land corridors, and the
00:18:35government is working hard,
00:18:38and honestly, these corridors
00:18:42are one of the priorities
00:18:44of the fourteenth government.
00:18:47However, as mentioned, all
00:18:51of this comes down to
00:18:55the budget. In fact,
00:18:58850 billion has
00:19:01been considered. Compared to
00:19:05last year,
00:19:37that is, 1404, we have not
00:19:41seen a significant change. And
00:19:44this year, with the new circumstances
00:19:48that arose, approximately 40%
00:19:52more budget has not
00:19:54been allocated to our main
00:19:58projects. In any case, in
00:20:01our province, Mr. Najafian
00:20:04is there and has surely
00:20:08given the necessary explanations. I
00:20:12heard the last part of it,
00:20:15which is about the Aras
00:20:19corridor. Fortunately, Mr. Pormohammadi,
00:20:22who has visited several times,
00:20:25says that we have no
00:20:29limitations for allocating funds
00:20:32there. However, currently, these
00:20:3617 kilometers with the tunnels
00:20:39that need to be built require
00:20:43a budget. The longer it takes,
00:20:47it will certainly increase the
00:20:50cost. I want to say
00:20:54that, in any case, they
00:20:56are working, but if
00:21:00the late Imam and
00:21:03our martyrs had a special
00:21:06sensitivity towards this
00:21:09project, now I say
00:21:13money is not a problem in
00:21:17allocation, but anyway,
00:21:21more is expected. We
00:21:24still haven't been able to
00:21:27do fundamental work on the
00:21:31tunnels. Anyway, Azerbaijan,
00:21:35especially this Aras corridor,
00:21:38is one of Iran's main
00:21:41trade routes with Europe.
00:21:45Anyway, East Azerbaijan, as
00:21:49the gateway for Iranian
00:21:52transit to the Caucasus
00:21:56and Eurasia, must prioritize
00:21:59this issue, and I hope
00:22:02they act on their
00:22:06words, Mr. Pormohammadi.
00:22:09Secondly, the Tabriz-Julfa
00:22:12rail corridor to Cheshmeh-ye
00:22:16Soria. Surely, dear friends
00:22:19have mentioned that, in
00:22:22any case, with the current
00:22:26sanctions, we must take
00:22:29these discussions about the
00:22:31west seriously. The East-West
00:22:35corridor is not like the
00:22:39North-South corridor. Huge
00:22:42costs are, thank God,
00:22:46being incurred in the North-South
00:22:56corridor, but for the
00:22:59East-West, where East Azerbaijan is also
00:23:03located, I think several
00:23:07fundamental things need to be
00:23:11done. One is this Julfa-Cheshmeh-ye
00:23:14Soria rail corridor, which
00:23:17connects us with three
00:23:20countries: Azerbaijan, Turkey.
00:23:24Anyway, it will provide
00:23:27good access to Eurasia.
00:23:31In the discussion of the
00:23:34Tabriz-Urmia freeway, it
00:23:37is a participatory project.
00:23:40Honestly, in any case,
00:23:4330% by the government
00:23:47and 60% by the partner
00:23:51are involved. 163 kilometers.
00:23:55I would like to complain
00:23:58here to Mr. Najafian.
00:24:02Unfortunately, land acquisition
00:24:05in section 6 was not
00:24:09carried out. This project,
00:24:12which could have diverted
00:24:16the main Tabriz traffic to
00:24:19section 6, unfortunately,
00:24:23for almost a year,
00:24:26I personally repeatedly
00:24:29told and followed up
00:24:32with the governor, Mr. Najafian,
00:24:36and Mr. Bazvand, but it didn't
00:24:39happen until today. And
00:24:42finally, our section
00:24:456 is facing problems.
00:24:48I hope it will be resolved
00:25:24soon, and the partner is honestly
00:25:28pursuing the work.
00:25:31Section three is a section
00:25:35that is in our province.
00:25:38It also has two tunnels,
00:25:41four and six for going
00:25:44and coming, and thank
00:25:48God, the work is progressing
00:25:52well, and I hope
00:25:54that money will be allocated.
00:25:58Let me tell you, Mr.
00:26:02Aslankhani, not a
00:26:04single rial has been paid
00:26:08to this project so
00:26:12far. The government has
00:26:15not yet paid its 30%
00:26:19share, and I hope that,
00:26:22in any case, the
00:26:26partner will responsibly
00:26:30pursue the
00:26:43work, and the government
00:26:46will also do its part.
00:26:50Section five has just
00:26:53been announced; work has
00:26:57not started yet. Of
00:27:01course, section
00:28:02four is also under
00:28:06traffic, and we have
00:28:10no problem. We hope
00:28:13that this project will
00:28:16also give officials, it
00:28:20is also related to that
00:28:23Member of Parliament. He
00:28:27also has not tried
00:28:31hard. It is not
00:28:35just related to the
00:28:38government official. Here, the
00:28:42demand from you, the
00:28:45representative, and your
00:28:49other friends is also
00:28:52effective in this matter.
00:28:56Thank you for being
00:29:00with us.
00:29:03However, prioritization
00:29:07for fundamental works should
00:29:10not be based on
00:29:14preferences. You are in the
00:29:17parliament to prevent it
00:29:21from being preferential.
00:29:25Thank you. Thank you.
00:29:28We are doing nothing but trying.
00:30:02Stay well. Thank you
00:30:05very much for being
00:30:09with me. It means
00:30:12that these Company for
00:30:15were the representatives
00:30:18of this province, and they
00:30:22are from Tabriz,
00:30:26so they were aware
00:30:30of the issue