'Truly Ambitious Project': Putin Pitches 7,200 Km Long INST Corridor As 'Transport Artery' Connecting Russia To India Via Iran

Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the proposed International North-South Transport Corridor (INST), connecting India to Russia via Iran, as a "truly ambitious project".

Addressing the sixth Caspian Sea Summit on Wednesday in the presence of leaders from Central Asia and Iran, Putin made special reference to the INSTC.

He described the project, which is 7,200-kilometre-long, as a “transport artery from St Petersburg to ports in Iran and India”.

INSTC aims to connect Caspian Sea region countries, including Kazakhstan.

"We think a lot needs to be done to improve the transport and logistics architecture of the region (Caspian sea region). First of all, we are talking about building the International North-South Transport Corridor, which our colleagues have talked about. I fully agree with these approaches. This is a truly ambitious project, a 7,200-kilometre-long transport artery from St Petersburg to ports in Iran and India," Putin said in a statement at the Summit.

"An agreement between the Caspian littoral states on transport cooperation, which came into force last year and is aimed at turning the Caspian Sea region into a major international logistics hub, is designed to facilitate a faster launch of this corridor," he added.

The project, in the long run, will be an alternative not only to the Suez Canal but also to China's controversial Belt and Road Initiative.

The BRI connectivity projects in the Eurasian region connects Europe to China via Central Asian states and Russia and gives Beijing access to resources of the Eurasian region, reports Economic Times.

India has been opposed to the BRI because the Chinese project violates its sovereignty as it passed through the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.