A dignified ceremony was held today at Murat Bey Customs Post in Istanbul to mark the arrival of the first two National Logistics Company (NLC) trucks carrying goods from Pakistan to Turkey, via Iran, under the Transports Internationaux Routiers (TIR) convention.

The NLC trucks departed from Karachi on 27th September and reached Istanbul on 7th October, covering 5300 Kilometers.

Senior officials of the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, Ministry of Trade, Chamber of Commerce & Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), International Road Transport Union (IRU), ECO Secretariat, Transport Ministry of the Islamic Republic of Iran, NLC, members and representatives of the Turkish private sector related to transport. Pakistan Ambassador to Turkey, Muhammad Syrus Qazi, accompanied by representatives of the Pakistan Embassy and Consulate General, participated in the ceremony.

Mr. Umberto de Pretto, Secretary-General of IRU, based in Geneva, also attended this ceremony.

All participants hailed the development as a vital step in promoting connectivity and enhancing trade between Pakistan and Turkey.

Ambassador Syrys Qazi, in his remarks, highlighted the Government of Pakistan’s focus on geo-economics and how regional connectivity was crucial in this regard. He hailed this trial run of NLC trucks as a historic step that will strengthen road connectivity between Pakistan and Turkey and would also help in the promotion of bilateral trade. The Ambassador noted that the operationalization of this road link would help reduce the cost and time for transportation.

Reviving the Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul (ITI-ECO) road transport corridor will generate revenue, boost trade and increase economic cooperation among the ECO member states. After this initial successful run, the NLC intends to improve and regularise the transport of goods between Pakistan and Turkey, helping to bring the two countries further closer.