Financial Tribune - Iran became a permanent member of the Council for Rail Transport of the Commonwealth of Independent States during the council�s 70th meeting held in the Finnish capital, Helsinki, on May 14-15.

�Being a permanent member for Iran, which was previously an observer member, will help further expand rail transit between the country and Central Asian states. It will also have positive effects on the operations of the International North-South Transport Corridor that stretches from Europe to Southeast Asia,� said Saeed Rasouli, Iran�s deputy minister of roads and urban development and head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways, who represented Iran in the Helsinki meeting.