Pakistan has made great strides towards economic diplomacy. Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul freight service started, the first train left with 23 tons of commercial goods.
Freight service for three countries has been started from Islamabad. Margalla railway station to Istanbul via Tehran ITI freight train has started its journey, freight train will leave every Tuesday.
The Foreign Minister along with the Iranian and Turkish ambassadors inaugurated the Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul freight train. Shah Mehmood Qureshi also announced to start Pak-Iran Turkish passenger train in the next phase.
The Foreign Minister said that our vision is for connectivity to Central Asia which will be enhanced. At present our intra-region trade is 8%.
Trade Adviser Razzaq Dawood said that the dependence on expensive trade through roads has been reduced and also expressed high hopes. “Once our goods arrive in Turkey, the ارب 1 billion trade will be easier,” he said.
Addressing the function, Railway Minister Azam Khan Swati said that the security route of ITI (Islamabad Tehran Istanbul) service is clear and the distance will be halved once the track is upgraded.
