Iran, Turkey discuss shared customs issues
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 25
By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:
Iran and Turkey have discussed issues on their joint customs prior to the Turkish President Recep Tayyep Erdogan's visit to Tehran.
Turkish Ambassador to Tehran Reza Cakan Tekin and Iranian Customs Director General Masoud Karbasian met in Tehran, IRNA news agency reported Feb. 25.
The Turkish ambassador stated that his country would demand a great deal of cooperation from Iran on customs affairs.
He said that the two countries' joint affairs on customs comprise of three topics.
"One is issues presented at a meeting between Turkish Minister of Customs and Trade Nurettin Canikli and Iranian Minister of Economic and Financial Affairs Ali Tayebnia on how to improve customs cooperation," he said.
He added that the two other issues have to do with transit and problems faced by Turkish investors in Iran.
The two also exchanged viewpoints on customhouses on joint borders and stressed attempts to raise existing problems.
The Iranian official proposed that the customhouses should run round-the-clock.
He also said that the Razi-Kapikoy border checkpoint can turn into a major passenger customhouse since it is letting through increasing numbers of passengers every day.
A report said that in the first 10 months of the current Iranian fiscal year (Mar. 21, 2014 to Jan. 20, 2015) Iran's export to Turkey hit close to $1.7 billion, while the country imported worth around $3.2 billion from the neighbor country.
In a meeting between Tayebnia and Canikli in early Feb., Iran and Turkey decided to set up a joint committee to facilitate customs trade.
The Turkish minister said signing the preferential trade agreement could lead to an increase in two-way trade.
Preferential trade agreement is a pact that reduces tariffs for certain products to the countries that sign it. While the tariffs are not necessarily eliminated, they are lower than countries not party to the agreement. It is a form of economic integration.
Edited by CN
