Measures identified to increase freight flows between Türkiye, Iran, Azerbaijan

Recent field visits to the Gürbulak–Bazargan border crossing between Türkiye and Iran and the Dilucu–Sadarak border crossing between Türkiye and Azerbaijan brought together the International Road Transport Union (IRU), its members International Association of Freight Forwarders (UND) and the International Transport Companies Association of Iran (ITCAI), customs authorities, and the road transport industry to review border procedures and identify practical steps to boost freight flows, Report informs.

According to a statement by the IRU, the Türkiye–Iran route through Gürbulak–Bazargan is one of the region's key road transport corridors. Beyond bilateral trade, it provides a strategic link from Türkiye and Europe through Iran towards Central Asia and wider Asian markets. This corridor has become even more important amid recent geopolitical disruptions to trade routes.

Combining TIR-EPD with a TIR Green Lane, as at the Dilucu border crossing in Türkiye, puts these benefits into practice: TIR trucks that submit advance cargo information before arriving at the border can cross far more efficiently, while customs gain more time to manage workloads and assess risk before trucks arrive. The result is optimised procedures and faster, more secure, more predictable crossings.

"Our discussions and observations at the border crossings demonstrated the clear benefits of TIR," said IRU General Delegate Erman Ereke. "Trucks operating under TIR benefit from faster and more predictable customs procedures. TIR-EPD and TIR green lanes take this facilitation one step further."

The visits also covered the Dilucu–Sadarak route, an increasingly strategic connection between Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Iran, with onward links towards the Caucasus and Central Asia. As regional trade and east–west connectivity grows, better coordination and streamlined border procedures will matter even more, said the IRU.