Tehran and Moscow held talks on the Rasht-Astara railway project, said Deputy Minister of Transport and Urban Development of Iran for Transport Shahriar Afandizadeh, IRNA reports.

Iran has submitted its proposed 16-article memorandum to determine how Russia will participate in and invest in the Rasht-Astara railway project, Afandizadeh said.

According to Afandizadeh, the Russian government is interested in participating in the completion of the Rasht-Astara railway by providing financial assistance.

In this regard, a bilateral memorandum between Iran and Russia was proposed and a trilateral memorandum was concluded between Iran, Russia and Azerbaijan, which follows a joint statement signed by the ministers of the three countries.

Although Iran has held talks with Russia as well as Azerbaijan to take part in the completion of the Rasht-Astara railway, the country will complete the project whether Russia is involved or not, he added.

Afandizadeh added that at the 13th joint meeting between Iran and Russia, an understanding was reached regarding the transfer of 10 million tons of goods by 2023. Three countries - Iran, Russia and Azerbaijan - also agreed to transfer 15 million tons of cargo.