According to the report of Total News, quoting from Gasht-o-Gozar News, Turkey, as a bridge between Europe and Asia, is one of the main trading partners of Iran, and due to the neighborhood and cultural affinity, as well as historical relations, the trade relations between Iran and Turkey are being strengthened day by day. Therefore, in a conversation with Mehdi Mousaie, the Secretary General of the Joint Chamber of Commerce of Iran and Turkey, we examined some of the challenges in this field, which you will read below.
According to the consultations, why are tolls still being collected from the Iranian fleet?
Turkey uses the issue of charging the difference in fuel from its fleet as an excuse, and from the Iranian fleet that enters Turkey, when it leaves Turkey, it receives sums in euros, depending on the kilometer of the road. Iran charges a fine of 30 cents per liter from the Turkish fleet that enters the country due to cheap fuel. For example, Turkish trucks are fined when leaving the border of Iran, regardless of the amount of fuel they had when entering the border. A few months ago, Turkey protested this issue and announced that either the Turkish fleet should be given fuel at the price of the Iranian fleet, or that we will also charge the Iranian fleet. In my opinion, to solve this problem, either the amount of fuel should be recorded upon arrival and the difference should be charged, or a discount should be included as a fuel penalty for the Turkish fleet.Â
The exit tolls were collected only from the Iranian fleet, thus, for each Iranian fleet that travels through Turkish territory, the distance traveled in this country is calculated and the tolls are paid for it. The root of the dispute with Turkey regarding the collection of these duties goes back to the distant past, and unfortunately, this problem has increased the costs in foreign trade and slowed down the movement of the Iranian fleet.
Considering the establishment of Razi border terminal, what plans do you have to improve the transport and transit sector?
With the completion of the Razi border terminal, many developments will take place in the field of border and international trade. By exploiting the Razi border, traffic and transit will be improved, and the problem of long entry and exit queues at the Bazargan and Serow borders will be solved, and naturally, by reducing costs, it will have a direct impact on border and international trade. For example, by lengthening the entry and exit queues at the borders, it increases the sleeping time of trucks, thus increasing the cost price of imported or exported goods.
In your opinion, with the opening of the Razi terminal, what infrastructures are needed to increase the volume of trade between Iran and Turkey?
Due to the exhaustion of the transport fleet, the import of up-to-date tractors should be seriously put on the agenda. Of course, since two years ago, arrangements were made to import tugboats under three years of construction, which, despite the defects in this plan, has caused a transformation in the modernization of the transportation fleet. Currently, it should be resumed by removing the existing defects, including the accumulation of trucks at the border for several months for clearance, scrapping, etc., so that enough trucks are provided for the transit load.
Another issue is the existence of transportation routes that need to be restored; For example, 67 km of Khoi-Razi transit road needs to be repaired. Fortunately, Dr. Najafzadeh, representative of the Khoi people in the Islamic Council, has given good news regarding the repair and widening of this road. Another thing is to use up-to-date x-ray machines, which increases the speed of work and prevents queues created by trucks, because the same old machines are still used. The next thing is to solve the banking problem that still persists. The lack of banking communication is very effective in reducing commercial transactions, and all relevant bodies must join hands to overcome these challenges.