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P.M.Ignatiev, P.V.Bovsunivskyi: Turkey and Iran: political rivalry and economic cooperation
through the ages

billion dollars in 2013 [15]. Turkey also remains one of the largest consumers of

Iranian oil together with Asian buyers such as China, India, South Korea and Japan.

During several last years Turkey remained a principal supplier of gold bars to

Iran in exchange for oil and gas, which allowed Islamic Republic to bypass

international banking sanctions. Today, as in the times of the Gulf War, country

resells Western goods to Iranian customers, using Free trade agreement of 1996 with

the European Union for import of agricultural and consumer commodities with their

subsequent re-export. In this respect Turkey bears the same importance for Iran, as

Jordan for Iraq. Turkish trucks pass Iranian territory in transit to carry goods to

Central Asia. On the other hand, the parthers badly need the railways to intensify the

trade and resolve issues, which appear with unfair taxation of the trucks. In 2014 both

states charged a huge amount – 1500 dollars per truck, what greatly inhibited the

movement of the cargo [16].

The services accounts for around 60 percent of Turkish economy and agriculture

− only for 10 percent, this means that the country is interested in increased numbers of

tourist arrivals from the neigbours, since Russians and Germans constitute

considerable number of international travellers and other countries are lagging behind.

Turkish resorts in the Mediterranean region, where night clubs and alcogolic drinks

are widely available for the visitors, became very popular among young and middle-

aged Iranians, who suffer from religious restrictions in their native land and forced to

attend the separate beaches for men and women. In addition, Iranians do not need the

visa in order to enter Turkey. Many of them arrive during Nawruz (Persian New Year)

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