The bill for the establishment of Mehran free trade zone in the western Ilam province will be submitted to the parliament in the coming days,” senior advisor to the governor-general of Ilam Province, Bahman Jalilian, said on Monday. He expressed hope that the bill will be ratified by lawmakers, IRNA reported. In July last year, President Hassan Rouhani assigned his advisor, Akbar Torkan, to establish a free trade zone in the border city of Mehran, which has 220 kilometers of joint border with Iraq. Mehran border is often frequented by Iranian and Iraqi pilgrims and tourists. As many as 6,000 people commute through the border terminal every day. The high level of security as well as religious and cultural diversity is viewed as an advantage for establishing a free trade zone in the city. In another development, President Hasan Rouhani submitted a bill to the parliament last week for turningBushehr Port into a free trade zone as well.
