Head of Iraq’s Border Ports Authority, Omar Adnan Al-Waeli said on Tuesday that the authority has taken different measures so that the transit of Iranian commodities via Iraq will become possible soon.
Al-Waeli made the remarks in a meeting with a top-ranking Iranian private sector delegation in Baghdad which was headed by the President of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (ICCIMA) Gholam Hossein Shafei.
Shafei is accompanied by four Members of Parliament, Head of Iran-Iraq Joint Chamber of Commerce and a number of Iranian private sector activists.
Speaking during the meeting, the Iran Chamber chief referred to long joint borders with Iraq, urging the need for using modern equipment at customs.
Shafei also said that the customs at the joint borders have to set their working hours based on the volume of activities, noting that another problem is the unannounced shutdowns of borders.
Underlining the significance of transit and transportation, he noted that Iran and Iraq enjoy a special geopolitical position that prepares the ground for transit activities.
Iran and Iraq can easily cover transits to Central Asia, India, China and parts of South East Asia, he said. “The position of Iraq is so that, with the help of each other, we can be active in international transportation and transit to Syria and Lebanon.”
The Iraqi official, said for his part that the authority has taken measures in upgrading the infrastructure of the joint border crossings. He noted that the border provinces are promoting the joint border crossings.
“I agree with you that the current situation of the border crossings is not favorable and should be reviewed from every perspective, and I also agree that the activity schedule should be coordinated between the border crossings of both sides,” Al-Waeli said.
He also vowed to pursue the issue of unannounced shutdowns of borders.
During their stay in Iraq, the Iranian economic delegation has already visited Iraq Federation of Industries, and the Iraqi Federation of Chambers of Commerce.