Iran, Turkey Move to Reopen Land, Air Borders

In a telephone conversation on Sunday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for the immediate reopening of the land and air borders between the two countries in conformity with the health protocols to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Citing the global economic problems caused by the outbreak of the coronavirus 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 neighbours 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 the 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,” President Rouhani underlined.

For his part, President Erdogan emphasized that the mutual cooperation and sharing experiences in the battle with the novel coronavirus will be highly effective.

Emphasizing the importance of expansion of economic and trade ties with Iran, the Turkish leader said he will be issuing the necessary orders to reopen the border crossings and restart the trade exchanges with Iran.

The outbreak of coronavirus epidemic in February led to the closure of common border between Iran and Turkey, cancelled the flights, and greatly reduced the trade interaction between the two neighbours.