Iran, Türkiye talk over growing of transport, transit cooperation
Date
1/26/2025 8:39:48 AM
(MENAFN) During a meeting between Mohammad-Hassan Habibzadeh, the Iranian Ambassador to Turkey, and Enver Iskurt, Turkey's Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, the two officials discussed expanding cooperation in the fields of transportation and transit between Iran and Turkey. They explored various opportunities for enhancing collaboration across different modes of transport, including rail, road, air, and sea transportation. This meeting also provided a platform for the exchange of views on potential projects aimed at strengthening the bilateral ties in transportation.
One of the key topics addressed during the meeting was the recent issue of truck traffic at the border crossings between Iran and Turkey. A particularly contentious issue has been Turkey’s decision, effective December 29, 2024, to revoke fuel tax exemptions for Iranian commercial vehicles entering Turkey. This move has sparked significant controversy as it forces Iranian truck drivers to pay substantially higher fuel taxes, which now amount to 155 percent of Turkey’s special consumption tax rate. With Iranian truckers already facing delays at border crossings, this additional financial burden threatens to disrupt trade dynamics in the region.
This action by Turkey is seen as a retaliatory measure in response to Iran's “full-tank” policy, which requires foreign trucks leaving Iran to pay customs duties equivalent to the fuel in their tanks to curb fuel smuggling. While Turkey justifies its move as reciprocal, it complicates efforts to enhance trade relations between the two countries. Despite this, both countries continue to explore ways to improve their economic partnership.
Iran’s Minister of Industry, Mining, and Trade, Mohammad Atabak, has emphasized the importance of a preferential trade agreement and the removal of tariff barriers to foster stronger trade ties between Iran and Turkey. In a recent meeting with Turkey’s Trade Minister, Omer Bolat, Atabak highlighted that the trade potential between Tehran and Ankara remains underutilized and that reviving preferential trade agreements would provide a solid foundation for increasing bilateral trade between the two nations.
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