Azerbaijan creates obstacles for Iranian exports to Russia, Iranian Fars news agency reports.
According to the source, starting from the second half of 2020, especially after the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) war, obstacles are being created for the transit of Iranian trucks through the territory of Azerbaijan under various pretexts. It is noted that the Azerbaijani side allowed the passage of 30 instead of 250 trucks per day, due to which the trucks remained at the checkpoint for 8-10 days. As mainly agricultural products are exported from Iran to Russia, due to accumulation delays, the product spoils, leading to financial losses.
It is also a problem for Iranian trucks to pay for entry to Azerbaijan, when Russian trucks are not charged.
According to the agency, Turkey is a serious competitor for Iran in the Russian market, and, most likely, Azerbaijan creates these obstacles for Iranian trucks at the instigation of Ankara.
It should be noted that since last year, the Iranian press has been raising the issue of trucks queuing on the Astara (Iran) border with Azerbaijan. It was also stressed in the Iranian media that the problem is being created artificially by Azerbaijan. The issue was discussed in 2021, during the January session of the Iran-Azerbaijan Commission on Economic Cooperation. It was decided that the Azerbaijani side will accept more trucks, and there will be no unloading. Despite such a decision, photos of the queues of Iranian trucks continue to be published in the press.
