Iran and Azerbaijan have signed a pact to build a new bridge on the Astara border aiming to reduce tolls on transportation, a report said.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the construction project was signed Iran’s Deputy Minister of Road and Urban Development Davoud Keshavarzian and his Azerbaijan counterpart Aref Asgarev, added the Iran Daily report, citing IRNA.

Annually, 40,000 lorries enter Azerbaijan Republic from Iran while 45,000 trucks enter Iran from the opposite direction, Keshavarzian was quoted as saying in the report.

The Rasht-Astara railroad will not only connect Azerbaijan Republic to Bandar Abbas, but also act as a passage for potential transfer European goods to the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea, Asgarev said.