Iran, Turkey, Pakistan to facilitate customs trade

TEHRAN,Dec.1(MNA) – Customs directors of Iran, Turkey, and Pakistan held a meeting on Thursday in Ankara and discussed ways to facilitate trilateral trade. The three sides agreed to streamline customs trade through removing cumbersome regulations. Iran and Turkey have sharply increased the level of their trade ties over the past years. In 2000, the level of bilateral trade stood at only around $1 billion, but in 2010, it exceeded $10 billion. The figure hit $5 billion last year. The two sides seek to raise the value of their bilateral trade to $30 billion by 2015. Pakistan's Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has said Islamabad will go ahead with its multibillion dollar projects with Iran, calling for immediate steps to lift the ceiling of the bilateral trade to $10 billion.