TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iranian ATA airline resumed its flight from Tehran and Tabriz to Baku and vice versa, a senior diplomat announced.

"Launching the flights of ATA airline to Azerbaijan is an important development in the two countries� relations,� Iran�s Ambassador to Baku Mohsen Pakayeen told reporters on Thursday.

He said that Baku-Mashhad and vice versa flights will also be launched by ATA airline in future.

The flight between Tehran, Baku and Tabriz cities will be conducted by Air Bus 320 airplanes on Mondays and Thursdays every week.

Earlier in September, Iranian Roads and Urban Development Minister Abbas Akhoundi reiterated Tehran's willingness to expand its railway connections with neighbors, and said Iran is ready to complete Qazvin-Rasht-Anzali-Astara railway through cooperation with Russia and Azerbaijan.

He made the remarks in a meeting with Azeri Minister of Economy and Industry Shahin Mustafayev in Tehran.

Akhoundi said that for the development of Iran-Azerbaijan transportation relations in addition to the completion of Qazvin-Astara railway which might take several years, two short-term mechanisms are proposed for speedy implementation.

�The first is extension of Azerbaijan railway up to Astara in Iran to transport commodities from Azerbaijan to Iran through railway and reload goods at Astara terminal. For this purpose, Azerbaijan should extend its railway another eight kilometer to reach the two countries' shared border, which is possible in the short run,� he said.

As for the second mechanism, Akhoundi pointed to the construction of the 40 kilometer Rasht-Anzali railway.

He said that the goods shipped from Azerbaijan Republic to Iran's Anzali Port can be reloaded on train destined for Bandar Abbas.

By Fars News Agency