Tehran, Yerevan Voice Readiness for Easing Trade Exchange, Transit
IRAN NEWS ECONOMIC DESK
TEHRAN – Iranian and Arminian Customs Administrations officials announced their readiness to ease trade exchange and transit of goods from both states.
According to reports, Head of Iran’s Customs Administration Mr. Mehdi Mir Ashrafi in a video conference with Armenia’s head of state revenue committee Mr. Davit Ananyan reviewed ways of boosting cooperation and resolving customs problems. During the virtual meeting, both sides presented their own proposals for resolving problems in the borders, and the Armenian side fully accepted his Iranian counterpart’s suggestions.
Mir Ashrafi pointed to the effects of the outbreak of Coronavirus on the trade relations of the countries in the region, and expressed hope by containment of the virus, the trade level and customs cooperation between both countries would normalize.
He said both countries can minimize the problems through talks and cooperation, and since Iran’s strategy is to boost ties with its neighbors, the country would do its best to increase its trade with them.
Mir Ashrafi noted that currently the trade volume between Iran and Armenia is not satisfactory, adding that by employing the capacities of the other side, both states can improve the current trade level.
He also pointed to the good cooperation of Armenia regarding the dispatch of cargos for fight with Coronavirus and hailed the country, adding that Iran has exported its first testing kit cargo to Germany.
Mir Ashrafi also pointed to the loading and unloading capacity of Armenia’s Meghri customs checkpoint which borders with Iran’s Nurduz customs checkpoint in East Azarbaijan Province, adding that because of good capacity and facilities of the checkpoint, in case Armenia agrees, 200 trucks can be loaded or unload their cargos at Nurduz customs checkpoint while before the outbreak of the virus, 80 trucks were loaded and unloaded.
He said since Iranian trucks are not mostly unloaded at the border checkpoints and they have to go to Yerevan, they are escorted by the police and there is no certain place for drivers to stop for saying their prayers and Armenia is recommended to allocate some certain place.
He noted that currently some 75 trucks are escorted by the police per day and Iran wants the number of trucks to be increased to 75.
Mir Ashrafi also urged his Armenian counterpart not to change the working hours of their border checkpoints without coordination with Iranian side because it may lead to waste of time and long queues.
Ananyan, for his part, expressed satisfaction for expanding cooperation on customs affairs and expressed his country’s willing to resolve current problems and improve bilateral trade. He also expressed hope that soon the Coronavirus would be contained.
Confirming his Iranian counterpart’s remarks, he said increase in the trade volume with Iran is very important for Armenia and for this reason, he would convey his Iranian counterpart’s proposals for offering facilities to Iranian trucks at Nurduz border to the Foreign Ministry.
He also approved Mir Ashrafi’s proposal for loading and unloading of trucks at Nurduz customs checkpoint instead of Meghri customs checkpoint, adding that soon, the preliminaries will start.
He also announced readiness of Armenia’s Customs Administration for online exchange of information based on the agreement signed between both states in 2019.
