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Speech by Farid Safarzadeh, Managing Director, Barbaran Iran International Transport Co., Islamic Republic of Iran

The necessity of forming Euro-Asian companies

Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed dignitaries, distinguished guests, I thank you for being here too, because these kinds of meetings will benefit us all, will open our views to newer and easier ways of doing business.

I am Farid Saffarzadeh from Bar Baran Iran international forwarding company of Iran. I sincerely thank the respectable management of the IRU for giving me this opportunity to stand here, and bring some important facts to your attention.

I want to talk about the necessity of forming Euro-Asian companies. We all know that Europe and Asia are two great cradles of civilization, and the contacts between the peoples of these two continents date back to several millennia ago.

In olden times Europe was hungry for Asia's herbs and spices, and your CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS of Genoa in searching to find a new route to Asia discovered Americas for you. Therefore as Captain Columbus proved it, doing business with us, the people of Asia, is always profitable.

Nowadays, Asia still has potentials that Europe can benefit from. Europe is the inventor, the manufacturer and the exporter of different commodities that Asia needs, and Asia has resources, and numerous eager consumers. These two great cradles of civilization have a lot to trade, and we people who are gathered here, can help this trade to be easier, faster, greater and more profitable.

One of the ways which most of us have thought about is to form Eurasian companies in order to facilitate the co-operation, and collaboration between the European and Asian Freight Forwarding firms.

Fortunately we live in an era that the transit of goods has almost eliminated the political boundaries, and has helped lots of nations to establish closer relations, and provide for their needs with less hassle than before.

The Islamic republic of Iran firmly believes in regional co-operations, especially in the field of transit of goods and passengers, offers its ports, and roads for the transit of goods, especially for the goods which are destined for the land locked countries of central Asia.

Both the private and the public sectors of Iran will warmly welcome anybody who wants to transit their goods through Iran. All the Iranian ports, roads, railways and air routes are open for this purpose. The government sector has invested billions of dollars in upgrading and modernising Iranian ports on the shores of THE PERSIAN GULF and THE SEA OF OMAN in the south, and THE PORTS OF CASPIAN SEA in the north. Other billions of dollars have been invested in creating, or upgrading border towns:

• We have 2 border towns along the border with Turkey: Serou and Bazargan.
• Six border towns near Iraq: Khosrawi, Bashmagh, Mehran, Shalamcha, Chazabeh, Tamarchin.
• Along the border with the republic of Azerbaijan, 4 border towns: Astara, Aslandooz, Bilesouvar and Djulfa.
• The border town of Nordooz in the boundary with Armenia.
• 4 border towns of Sarakhs, Lotfabad, Bajgiran and Incheboroon, along the border with Turkmenistan.
• The border towns of Milak and Dogharoun near the border with Afghanistan, and the border town of Mirjaveh near the boundary with Pakistan.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has spent time, energy and money to create a systematic infrastructure that can facilitate the transition of billions of tons of goods via its roads and its railway grid.

Iranian railroad system now connects Bandar Abbas and Khoramshar in the south to the border towns near the central Asian countries. Now all the Iranian border towns are linked via 20,000 km of quality asphalt transit roads. More than 90 convenience complexes offer a variety of services to the users of those roads.

Iran has established 18 border terminals, which are equipped with all facilities to help a smoother transportation in the said border towns.

Iran has eased its transit laws and regulations to lure more transit traffic through its territory.

Iran has signed road transportation agreements with 49 European and Asian countries, and has affiliated with the following conventions:

• TIR CONVENTION
• CMR CONVENTION
• CARNET DE PASSAGE CONVENTION
• GREEN CARD CONVENTION
• ATA CONVENTION
• INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION ON THE HARMONIZATION OF FRONTIER CONTROLS OF GOODS

Furthermore Iran, being affiliated with another 40 marine, air and railroad conventions, offers a unique opportunity to the international transport companies for using its transit routes, and paying a minimum of charges.

There are over 800 Iranian owned international forwarding companies, along with 130 shipping agencies who have about 130 cargo ships, and 28,000 trucks at their disposal, and would like to establish an amicable co-operation with their colleagues in Europe and Asia, in international forwarding operations, for performing quicker and reliable services.

The laws and regulations of the Islamic Republic of Iran permit foreign nationals, and foreign firms to enter into partnership with Iranian owned international forwarding companies. They also allow the foreign companies to use Iran’s unique geographical and transit position, and benefit from Iranian equipment and facilities, after a contract for such activities has been signed with an Iranian party.

But, if some cases are deeply thought about, the Eurasian co–operation will bear even more fruits, and the forwarding companies can send their vehicles to the countries of destination easier, and the transportation of goods and passengers will be done more comfortably. Those cases are as follows:

• Governments should eliminate their state taxes imposed on the entering and exiting vehicles.
• Elimination of entry visas for drivers.
• Elimination of entry visas for managers of international forwarding firms.

Lots of countries impose heavy duties on transit vehicles, this will add to the cost of freight, and ultimately to the price of goods. Such unfair duties must be eliminated.

Lots of precious time is spent in obtaining entry visas for the drivers and the managers of forwarding firms, so, I propose these cases to be included in the final resolution of this congregation, and formally be submitted to the governments, by IRU, so that appropriate steps can be taken for approving them.

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