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Iran-Turkmenistan border trade on the rise: Lawmaker
Ali Azari told Iran Daily that the trade between Iran and Turkmenistan through the border of Bajgiran is on the rise.
In recent months, a major part of Iran’s commercial interactions with the member countries of the SCO takes place through the border crossing, the MP noted.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a Eurasian political, economic, international security and defense organization established by China and Russia in 2001.
It is the world’s largest regional organization in terms of geographic scope and population, covering approximately 80% of the area of Eurasia and 40% of the world population. As of 2021, its combined GDP was around 20% of global GDP.
Azari also explained about the economic relations between Iran and Turkmenistan saying that “In the past few years, our side could not establish good relations with Turkmenistan, and therefore the borders between the two countries were closed to a large extent, but in the incumbent government, good interactions between the two countries have been established. Based on this, business interactions in the border areas have flourished.”
Bajgiran region has the capacity to become a joint free zone between Iran and Turkmenistan, the lawmaker noted adding that preliminary measures are underway for the border region to become a joint free zone in the future.
“The government has issued the necessary directives in this regard, but the process of administrative work related to this issue should be accelerated so that the fruits of it can be benefited as soon as possible.”
Iran shares borders with 15 countries, he pointed out noting that “Today, we believe that the country’s borders should be used for the development of cultural, economic relations with proper management. The government and the Parliament intend to revive these capacities at the borders to use them for the progress and development of the country.”
Each of the border crossings of Iran can be exploited as a free trade zone which are better than oil wells for the country, the lawmaker said.
No delay is accepted in the development of border regions, he noted saying that the government should more seriously pursue the resolution of related issues.
The incumbent government has focused its foreign policy priority on the neighbors and friendly and aligned countries, the MP said.
He explained that based on the policy, we have witnessed the development of cooperation with neighboring countries, and in parallel, Iran became a member of some important regional and international agreements, such as the BRICS and the
SCO.
“Our membership in these treaties improved the country’s status in the field of international relations and helped to improve the country’s economic situation,” the MP concluded.