Putin said Russia supports shared use of international transport corridors,
citing the developing Northern Sea Route and eastern maritime corridors. On the
North–South International Transport Corridor — a roughly 7,200 km multimodal
route from St. Petersburg to Mumbai that would provide an alternative to the
Suez Canal — he said progress does not depend on Russia; Moscow is prepared to
provide necessary funding but Iran must complete its section. He said part of
the route will run through Azerbaijan, and Baku has agreed and sees the project
as promising.
