KIEV, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine plans to launch a freight train to Iran in a bid to boost bilateral agricultural trade, the Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry said Thursday.
A test run traversing Georgia and Azerbaijan is scheduled for this summer, the ministry said in a statement.
"Ukraine must develop new international transport corridors in order to become a reliable transit bridge between the countries of Europe and Asia," Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan was quoted as saying.
In 2016, the agricultural trade turnover between Ukraine and Iran stood at 806.8 million U.S. dollars, and the aim is to increase it to 1 billion dollars within the next three years.
Ukraine currently sells primarily grain to Iran, and it is expected to boost exports of flour, vegetable oils and milk products, among others.
This year, Ukraine also intends to launch a freight train to China using the rail-sea trans-Caspian International Transport Route through Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.
