Turkish officials have agreed to allow Iranian trucks cross Bazargan border into Turkey provided that Iran removes fuel price difference for those Turkish trucks with sealed fuel tanks, Reza Kami, chairman of Iran-Turkey joint commission told ISNA Tuesday.
“Despite truck drivers’ strike on the border of Bazargan, no agreements have been reached between the two countries and as a result traffic has fallen significantly this week”, Kami said.
Statistics released by Iran Customs Administration suggests that a large volume of goods intended for export have since been pending in customs offices. It is essential to resolve the issue for the trucks, especially those carrying food and agricultural products, as soon as possible, according to Kami.
“Iran-Turkey route is a main part of the ancient Silk Road and it is not easy for neither of them to replace it,” he added.
The conflict started when Turkey started charging Iranian trucks $31 per 100 kilometers, saying Iran did the same, on October 10. Iranian officials retaliated by matching the increase. Turkey has since raised the rate to $63 per 100 kilometers. Iranians say they levied a $31 fee on Turkish trucks due to the gap in fuel prices in the two countries. Turkish fuel stations have, for their part, stopped selling fuel to Iranian trucks.
