Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development Farzaneh Sadeq-Malvajerd met with the secretary general of the International Road Transport Union (IRU) on Monday to discuss enhancing transit development, strengthening transportation cooperation, and expanding regional collaboration.
The meeting took place during the 87th session of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s Inland Transport Committee in the Swiss city of Geneva, IRNA reported.
Sadeq-Malvajerd highlighted Iran’s close cooperation with the IRU, describing the organization as a key international body in the road transport sector.
She emphasized that Iran’s role in the transit of goods along the North-South and East-West corridors will be further enhanced through the use of advanced IRU tools, particularly digital solutions.
The minister also noted that Iran’s record of 20 million tons of transit goods in the current Iranian year (started March 20, 2024) reflects the country’s high capacity in international transport.
She stressed the importance of strengthening ties with the IRU and increasing regional interactions to further boost transit activities.
Sadeq-Malvajerd underscored the significance of exchanging commercial information and transport regulations among member states of the TIR Convention. She called for accelerating the finalization of road transport safety measures and enhancing cooperation with the IRU’s Road Safety Fund.
During the meeting, Sadeq-Malvajerd announced Iran’s upcoming presidency of the Intergovernmental Commission of the Transports Internationaux Routiers (TIR) in two weeks and expressed hope that the ministerial meeting would provide unique opportunities for expanding regional cooperation and strengthening the TIR system.
IRU Secretary-General Umberto de Pretto praised Iran’s role in regional road transport and described the appointment of a female minister in the Islamic Republic of Iran as an inspiring move for the global community.
He noted that the presence of women in the transport industry remains limited and expressed hope that this appointment would encourage more women to join the sector.
De Pretto echoed Sadeq-Malvajerd’s views on the role of transport in achieving regional peace, emphasizing that road transport trade is a key tool for global stability.
He acknowledged Iran’s leadership in implementing the TIR Convention in the region and highlighted the decades of expertise held by Iranian road transport companies and professionals.
The IRU head added that Iran’s cooperation in regional transit development through the implementation of the TIR Convention across all regional countries could be highly effective.
The TIR Convention is an international agreement aimed at facilitating international road transport and reducing trade barriers. It enables door-to-door, uninterrupted transport of goods from origin to destination. Iran, as a leading country in implementing this system, plays a significant role in the development of international transit.