Demirchi Lou: Resolving Truck Congestion at Astara Border Requires Fundamental Decisions

In an interview with a Mehr News Agency reporter, Mojtaba Demirchilou identified transportation and transit as one of the most important areas of Tehran-Baku cooperation and stated: These cooperations are not limited to bilateral relations; rather, they are pursued within the framework of multilateral cooperation and the mutual use of each other’s territories to access surrounding markets.

Referring to Astara’s special position in Iran’s commercial exchanges, he added: Astara Customs is one of the country’s most active trade gateways. Due to its privileged geographical location and road, rail, and maritime capacities, it is considered the main gateway for Iran’s entry into the Caucasus, Russia, and even Europe. Utilizing these advantages requires the development of appropriate hardware and software infrastructure.

Stationary Trucks; A Recurring but Unsolved Problem

Iran’s ambassador to the Republic of Azerbaijan, referring to the annual congestion of trucks at the Astara border at the end of the calendar year, said: This situation not only harms the interests of exporters and transportation companies and reduces the competitive advantage of Iranian goods but also causes dissatisfaction among citizens and shows that the necessary conditions for smooth traffic have not been provided.

Demirchilou added: This issue is not only related to one side of the border because international road fleet traffic is based on mutual cooperation in exports, imports, and border crossing. That we face this problem every year with increased truck stoppages for several days or weeks, and then the issue is forgotten, is not considered a sustainable solution.

Continuous Follow-up by the Iranian Embassy with Azerbaijani Authorities

Stating that the Iranian Embassy in Baku cannot be indifferent to the transportation issue, he said: For about the past 10 days, after receiving reports about the increase in truck stoppages in Astara, the issue has been followed up daily with relevant officials of the two countries, especially the authorities of the Republic of Azerbaijan, including the State Customs Committee, Astara Customs, the Prime Ministry, the Joint Economic Commission, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to him, the increase in the number of crossings is the result of these very coordinations, although it is expected that the reception capacity on the other side will increase so that we do not witness abnormal stoppages.

Joint Meeting at the Astara Border and Adoption of New Decisions

Demirchilou announced the holding of separate meetings with customs officials of the two countries at the Astara border and said: In these meetings, in addition to the governor, terminal and customs managers, the head of the Gilan Chamber of Commerce, exporters, and transportation activists were present, and various dimensions of the issue were examined.

He added: It was agreed that by prioritizing this issue, all capacities would be used to reduce stagnation, and at the same time, necessary measures would continue to create stable and smooth conditions for road fleet traffic.

North–South Corridor; High Importance, Little Progress

Iran’s ambassador to the Republic of Azerbaijan, referring to the passage of more than 20 years since the agreement to create the North-South corridor, said: Despite the many discussions raised about this route, its real importance is still not clear to many, and for this reason, no proportionate progress is observed.

He described the eastern, middle, and western branches of this corridor and added: Astara has a special position in the western branch (Iran-Azerbaijan-Russia-Europe), and to utilize its capacities, attention must be paid simultaneously to maritime, rail, and road sections.

Demirchilou emphasized: The development of this route is not limited to physical infrastructure; laws, regulations, and transportation costs must be adjusted in such a way as to reduce costs and increase the speed of movement. Achieving this goal requires joint policymaking and coordination among the countries along the route, especially Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

In conclusion, referring to the role of the trilateral working group between Iran, Russia, and the Republic of Azerbaijan, which was formed to develop a roadmap for transit cooperation, he said: We hope that this working group, by examining transportation issues technically, will pave the way for removing obstacles and creating the expected facilities.

News code: 6695890 | Source: Mehr News Agency