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| President Erdogan of Turkey and President Rouhani of Iran |
It has been 18 years since an Iranian president visited turkey. But on Monday, President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, will be in Turkey to meet with Prime Minister Erdogan and President Gul. Turkish and Iranian relations have not been good for several years. Iran has backed the Assad regime in Syria while Turkey has supported the rebels. But it is a complex relationship because the two countries have continued to have a robust trading relationship despite their disagreement over Syria.
Iran (formerly known as Persia) is one of the countries that will be in the God-Magog alliance spoken of in Ezekiel 38 and 39. Last Thursday, DTTO News reported that Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia were in the beginning stages of military co-operation. If the relationship between Turkey and Iran continues to develop, this would be another piece to the end-times puzzle.
Rohani visits Turkey amid dispute on trade issues
As Turkey prepares to host Iranian
President Hassan Rouhani on Monday for the first time since he took
office last summer, several unresolved trade issues between the
neighboring countries are still on the table.
According to Turkish diplomatic
sources, Rouhani's visit is scheduled for June 9. Iranian Ambassador
to Turkey Ali Reza Bikdeli recently told reporters that the most
important agenda item between Turkey and Iran is the signing of
certain agreements and holding the first meeting of the Turkey-Iran
High Level Strategic Cooperation Council.
Yet, several points of dispute
particularly on economic and trade issues remain unresolved between
Turkey and Iran. The high fuel surcharges imposed by Iran on Turkish
trucks at border gates inconvenience truckers and cost Turkey almost
an extra 56 million euros every year.
Fatih Şener, the executive president
of the International Road Transport Union (UND), said in a telephone
interview with Sunday's Zaman that Iran imposes a fuel surcharge of
$750 per truck per passage. In addition, even if Turkish trucks
purchase their fuel in Turkey, they have to pay that amount as a
transit passage charge.
“Annually almost 16,000 Turkish trucks drop their load at the Turkish-Iranian border so as to avoid paying those high charges,” said Şener, stressing that Iran's practice is unfair and an excessive bureaucratic procedure.
“Annually almost 16,000 Turkish trucks drop their load at the Turkish-Iranian border so as to avoid paying those high charges,” said Şener, stressing that Iran's practice is unfair and an excessive bureaucratic procedure.
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