ISTANBUL - Border Trade Centers (STM) project, which aims to contribute to economic development of East and Southeast Anatolia regions and to increase export amount, is put into practice by Foreign Trade Undersecretariat.
First of the STMs, which are targeted to be established on borders of 13 provinces of Turkey, will be active on three points of Iranian border until the end of this year.
According to the decision of Council of Ministers, other provinces are Artvin, Ardahan, Kars, Igdir, Sirnak, Mardin, Sanliurfa, Kilis, Gaziantep and Hatay. Erzurum, Mus, Bitlis, Siirt, Batman, Diyarbakir and Adiyaman which are neighbors to these provinces will also benefit from the practice.
STMs will be accepted as out of customs region. These centers will be run by joint stock companies which will be established with the participation of provincial special administrations, trade and industry chambers and exporters' unions of related provinces.
State Minister Kursad Tuzmen told A.A correspondent that border trade was important for the development of East and Southeast Anatolian regions. He added that STMs were accepted as out of customs region.
Tuzmen said that they envisioned to provide employment to people of region and activity for services sector functioning on routes to be used for transportation of goods to be made through STMs.
Noting that they had negotiations with neighbor countries to establish and function STMs, Tuzmen said that during their visit to Iran between September 30 and October 2, they had decided to activate STMs in Agri, Van and Hakkari provinces within this year in the meeting of Turkey-Iran Joint Trade Commission.
Tuzmen said that they targeted to reach foreign trade amount worth of 100 million dollars in those three centers near the Iranian border.
Tuzmen said that they were expecting a response from Iranian officials on this issue and also Georgian officials were positive to establish STMs on Georgian borders.
(GC-ÖŞ) 08.11.2003