Iranian, Turkish Presidents Discuss Reopening of Border, Resumption of Trade
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The presidents of Iran and Turkey weighed plans to reopen the borders and resume the trade exchanges between the two neighbors after a weeks-long hiatus in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak.
In a telephone conversation on Sunday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for an immediate reopening of land and air borders between the two countries in conformity with the health protocols to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Citing the global economic problems caused by the outbreak of the pandemic, the two presidents called for the resumption of the trade exchanges and freight services between Iran and Turkey.
They also expressed hope that a new session of Iran-Turkey Joint Economic Cooperation Commission in the near future and after settlement of the coronavirus crisis would give fresh impetus to the economic collaboration between the two Muslim neighbors and help implement the previous bilateral agreements.
Hailing the history of close cooperation between Tehran and Ankara, the two presidents stressed the need to promote interaction and share experiences and knowledge in the fight against COVID-19.
“In the current situation, reopening of the land and air borders in conformity with the health protocols and the resumption of the trade and commodity exchanges is a must for both countries,” Rouhani underlined.
For his part, Erdogan emphasized that the mutual cooperation and sharing experiences in the battle with COVID-19 will be highly effective.
Highlighting the importance of expansion of economic and trade ties with Iran, the Turkish leader said he will issue the necessary orders to reopen the border crossings and restart the trade exchanges with Iran.
The two presidents also congratulated each other on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.