Iran, Turkey Address Border Transit Issues

Minister of Roads and Urban Development Abbas Akhoundi met Turkish Minister of Economy Nihat Zeybekci in Tehran late Saturday.

The transit truck traffic congestion at Iran-Turkey border and the security of road and rail routes to Turkey were the main topics discussed by the two sides, the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development’s news website reported.

Differences in fuel price in Iran and Turkey has given rise to a dispute between the border officials of the two country, leading to a traffic halt at the common border with long lines of transit truck waiting to cross to the other side.

Meanwhile, a few Iranian transit trucks have come under arson attacks and gunfire on the Turkish soil in the past few months. Ankara blamed the incidents on militants affiliated to Kurdistan Workers’ Party.

Iran-Turkey passenger trains have also stopped operating after an explosion on the route was reported in late July.

Heading a high-ranking trade delegation, Zeybekci arrived in Tehran on Saturday. Apart from Akhoundi, he met First Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri and Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mahmoud Vaezi, who co-chair Iran-Turkey Economic Commission.