North-South transport route could become popular international  corridor - Vladimir Putin

ArmInfo.The North-South transport route can become a popular international corridor, Russian  President Vladimir Putin said.

"As for this North-South road, it can turn into a very good  international and popular international corridor.  When cargo from  here, right where we are located, from the port of St. Petersburg,  will go through the entire European part to Azerbaijan, then to Iran  and with access to the Persian Gulf," he said.

At the same time, the Russian leader added that the North-South  project promises to be very profitable, investments in it are  reliable, and its profitability will be guaranteed.

"Since it promises to be very profitable, there are also foreign  investors, non-regional, nearby countries, including sovereign Arab  funds, who have declared their interest in this project. It is clear,  because sovereign funds are always looking for reliable investments.  This is one of the reliable investments, because its profitability  will be ensured, guaranteed," Putin said on Wednesday at a meeting  with the heads of the world's leading news agencies, RIA Novosti  reports.

The Russian leader also touched upon relations with Azerbaijan and  called the pace of development of bilateral cooperation very good.  According to him, Russia and Azerbaijan are paying more and more  attention to the development and diversification of relations, which,  if this work continues, will lead to good results.

"The total volume of trade turnover is somewhere between $4.5 - 4.6  billion, and the pace is good. The pace of development is very good.  We are diversifying our relations more and more, and I am sure that  if this attitude is maintained on both sides, and in Russia we We  have the same attitude, I'm sure that the results will be good," he  said.

Putin noted that one of the important areas of joint work between the  two countries is logistics. "In this sense, a lot needs to be done  from the point of view of the development of logistics - this applies  not only to the North-South road, but also in other vectors: the  construction of logistics centers, including on the border of Russia  and Azerbaijan - on the Dagestan section, there already work is  underway. This also applies to other areas," the president noted.

On Wednesday, on the sidelines of the SPIEF, Putin held a  conversation with the heads of major international news agencies,  including representatives of unfriendly countries. The St. Petersburg  International Economic Forum (SPIEF) takes place from June 5 to 8.