INSTC connects Europe with India

• The western wing of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), which offers a shorter multimodal transportation route between Europe and India, became operational this week with a Finnish logistics company despatching a consignment from Finland to India.
• The consignment will transfer by way of Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran and attain Mumbai in about 22 days in contrast with 40 days taken by way of the Suez Canal and western European ports

International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC):

• It is to increase trade between India and Russia, central Asia, Iran, Europe etc. via ship, rail and road.
• It is a 7,200-km-long multi-mode network of ship, rail, and road route for moving freight.
• Regions involved: India, Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.
• Russia, Iran and India signed the agreement for the NSTC project on the 16th of May 2002.
• There are 13 member states of the INSTC project. India, Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Belarus, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Oman, Syria, Turkey, Ukraine, and Bulgaria (observer).

Objectives:

• Increase effectiveness of transport ties in order to organise goods and passenger transport
• Promotion of access to the international market through rail, road, sea, river, and air transport of the State Parties to this agreement
• Providing security of travel and safety of goods.

Routes:

• India-Iran-Azerbaijan-Russia-Kazakhstan transport connectivity.
• The Kazakhstan – Turkmenistan – Iran railway link
• Chabahar NSTC Integration