Iran-Turkey Non-oil Trade Up By 50% In Six Months

Isfahan, Oct 15, IRNA – Head of Iran's Customs Administration Abbas Memarnejad said on Sunday that Iran-Turkey non-oil trade rose by 50 percent in the first half of the current Iranian calendar year of 1391 (starting on March 21). Memarnejad told a joint meeting of the heads of Iranian and Turkish customs offices that volume of Iran-Turkey trade stood at $16 billion in the first six months of this year. Memarnejad, also Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance, said the two sides in their meeting signed a new customs agreement, which calls for raising volume of exchanges by 20 percent by coordinating the working hours of their customs offices. He said the deal also envisions improving physical infrastructures of their customs houses. To this end, he added, about 100 billion rials has been invested in building a new transit route in Bazargan customs. He noted that among outcomes of the meeting was building of Razi-Khoy road and Essen Darreh-Sarv road. Memarnejad said to avoid smuggle of goods, drugs and fuel due to high difference of prices in the two countries, Iran and Turkey have signed an agreement. He said sniffer dugs have been deployed on Bazargan border to fight drugs transit. To upgrade mutual trade, opined the official, a joint border and customs gate will be established through assessment of imports and exports of the two countries concurrently, according to Memarnejad./end