In an interview with ILNA Economic Reporter, Seyed Ali Hosseini said of the visit of the Minister of Roads and Urban Development to Syria: "Syria attaches great importance to Iran economically and wants Iran to Iran is an active partner in the Syrian economy, but it is a problem." It is that the land route from Iran to Syria via Iraq has not been fully reopened.
This question should be raised in this journey as one of the fundamental and strategic questions. An agreement must be found between Iran, Syria and Iraq.
He added: "Given that Syria, Iran and, more recently, Iraq are members of the convention and can benefit from it, they will probably be able to move this tripartite agreement forward via Iraq, because Iraq has a very important role to play in this respect".
In this case, the time and pace of sending Iranian goods to Syria and vice versa by land will be reduced and will have very good economic benefits.
Hosseini continued, "Creating a corridor between the three countries can lead to a logical balance in the field of international transport so that we can use a series of Syrian ports to send our goods to southern Europe."
If the Minister of Roads and Urban Development manages to persuade the Syrian side to conclude a tripartite agreement at this meeting, it will have a very positive effect.
He added: "We have the most non-oil exports to Iraq, and at the same time Syria is a kind of strategic depth of Iran."
When we were in Syria, we should now be able to use Syria economically, and the Syrian government has given the green light for this, but our road to Syria is blocked by land.
This route must be open in transit through Iraq.
The head of the Transport and Logistics Committee of the Iranian Chamber of Commerce said: “If this happens, our goods will reach the Syrian market faster and will be much more economical in terms of price and shipping price.
Much emphasis is placed on what is happening in Syria as well. This is the most important goal to pursue in this journey; All aspects must be considered so that this route is not closed again after a while so that we can use it as an alternative route for trade with Syria, as well as to use the ports of this country to send products to southern Europe.
He added: "This corridor will be of great benefit to Syria."
A number of Iranian companies in Syria are working on the country's infrastructure.
Iranian companies are working on several major Syrian mines. We need raw materials that are in Syria.
This route can be a round trip and cover exports from Iran, Syria and Iraq.
Certainly, with the opening of this route, they will try to route part of their exports to Iran or neighboring countries of Iran, and they will even be able to use Iranian ports.
Hosseini stressed: The creation of this corridor is a two-way victory for Iran and Syria.
This can bring Syria out of the stalemate and significantly improve Iran in terms of trade with Syria.
If this path is created, Iran could have a bigger share in the Syrian economy.
He added, "Syria has an advantage in some goods and products, for example, the confectionery and chocolate industries, clothing, etc. are strong."
Syrian industry has a commercial advantage, given the investments that some European countries, including France, have made in Syria for a long time.
If this corridor is open, given that Iran and Syria are under sanctions, it can send a message to our parties that we can start to trade with each other in this way, and it will certainly grow with its start.
Hosseini underlined: "Every month, an Iranian ship is sent to Syria, but it is not enough and we must invest in land transport."
We can have good relations with Syria by sea, land and air.
If this agreement is implemented, other sectors of our economy could also benefit greatly, since the Syrian market is very close to Iranian production.