Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul road corridor comes into operation

Turkey marked the launch of the Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul Road Transport Corridor Project on Friday, with a welcoming ceremony in Istanbul for a convoy of Pakistani commercial trucks.

The convoy departed from Pakistan's capital on September 27 and arrived in Istanbul on Thursday, having covered 5,300 kilometres.

The welcoming ceremony was attended by Pakistan's ambassador to Turkey, senior Iranian officials, the Economic Cooperation Organization and several Turkish public and private sector bodies, Anadolu Agency reported.

"I would only like to say there is a saying in almost every language, in our language, Urdu, also, that drops, when they are taken together become a river," Pakistan's ambassador was quoted as saying.

He added that the route would form a "river of commerce" between the three nations.

"It is an extremely important corridor for the development of our road trade with the Middle East and regional countries," Asli Calik, head of department, transport and logistical systems at TOBB was quoted by Anadolu as saying.

Thursday's convoy arrival comes a decade after the decision to establish the corridor was made at the 8th ECO Ministers of Transport and Communications meeting in Turkmenistan in 2011.

The three states hope to boost cooperation and trade through the transport corridor.