Iran, Turkmenistan agree on measures to expand cross-border cargo capacity
Iran and Turkmenistan have agreed to explore raising the daily truck-handling capacity at their shared Sarakhs border crossing to 700 vehicles, while pursuing measures to facilitate rail freight movements and streamline customs procedures to boost bilateral trade, IRNA reported.
The agreement was discussed at a meeting between senior customs officials from the two countries on Monday at the Sarakhs border crossing, attended by Foroud Asgari, Iran’s deputy economy minister and head of the Iranian Customs Administration, and Maksat Hudaykuliyev, head of Turkmenistan’s customs service.
Under the proposal, technical teams from both customs administrations will examine the feasibility of increasing daily truck-handling capacity to at least 350 trucks from each side, bringing the combined total to 700. The teams will also prepare the groundwork for implementation, with the aim of easing traffic, reducing waiting times and increasing trade flows.
The measures are part of Iran’s efforts to implement a new presidential directive stipulating that borders should serve as transit points and goods should not remain there, IRNA reported.
The officials also discussed expanding rail freight capacity at Sarakhs in Iran’s northeastern Khorasan Razavi Province. They reached agreements aimed at increasing the handling and movement of freight wagons and facilitating rail transport between the two countries.
Faster movement and the return of freight wagons across the shared border were also discussed, with the two sides agreeing to work toward reducing delays and improving the efficiency of rail operations.
Summing up the talks, Asgari said the meetings would pave the way for more effective customs cooperation and further facilitate bilateral trade.
Hudaykuliyev said trade between the two countries was growing steadily and their customs administrations maintained close ties. He added that the installation of smart equipment and the facilitation of foreign trade were on the agenda, with Turkmenistan ready to increase rail traffic as well as road transport.