International Forwarding and Logistics Service Providers Association UTIKAD drew attention to the problems experienced at Kapıkule Border Gate and Hamzabeyli Border Gate, Turkey's most important border gate opening to Europe.
UTIKAD Chairman of the Board Ayşem Ulusoy underlined that road transport ranks second in Turkey's foreign trade in terms of value and stated that the problems experienced at the border gates hinder our trade volume and competitiveness.
Ayşem Ulusoy, Chairman of the Board of UTIKAD, stated that the density experienced at the border gates and the TIR queues stretching for kilometers in the last days affected the sector deeply and they followed the negativities experienced closely, and said, "As UTIKAD, it is not possible for us to remain indifferent to these problems experienced by our sector, and as UTIKAD, we are trying to determine and solve these problems in every platform of our sector. We tried to be his voice. However, the problem at our border gates, especially at Kapıkule Border Gate, has now become gangrene. The queue for imports in Kapıkule reached 11 kilometers in the morning today, and the number of vehicles kept in the truck parks was reflected in the figures as 3.410 vehicles. Waiting times are up to 5 days at Kapıkule Border Gate. These periods mean loss for companies that carry products that will deteriorate,” he said.
Stating that the Kapıkule Border Gate is the most important gate that Turkey opens to Bulgaria and to the whole of Europe in this way, Ulusoy said, “The inefficiencies experienced at this point cause problems in the trade between the European Union and Turkey. Vehicles are kept at the border gate for days for transactions that will take a few minutes. The intensity experienced especially at the Kapıkule Border Gate not only increases the costs but also negatively affects the commercial activities. In addition, waiting times lasting for days make the difficult working conditions for drivers even more difficult, and prevent the fulfillment of the carbon emission reduction target aimed with the European Green Agreement.
Ulusoy said that at Hamzabeyli Border Gate, our border gate opening from Edirne to Bulgaria, the TIR queue reached 34 kilometers as of the morning hours, and it went up to 44 kilometers the previous day, that the TIR parks were insufficient due to the density, and that the construction of new TIR parks would not create humane conditions. stated that it is essential.
On the other hand, Ayşem Ulusoy stated that the vehicle fleet capacities could not be utilized at the highest level because we had to wait for days to cross the border gate, and emphasized that the increased freight prices for this reason reduced the competitiveness of our exporters in the foreign market. Referring to the Bulgarian side of the solution, Ulusoy said, “There are improvements made on the Turkish side of the border gate, but it is extremely important to ensure the coordinated operation of Kapıkule and Kapitan Andreevo Border Gates in order for these improvements to be efficient. Otherwise, these improvements and efforts made on the Turkish side will continue to be insufficient to serve the purpose, and no matter how much the equipment capacities are increased, no results will be achieved.”
Ayşem Ulusoy, who stated that the long waiting times at the border gates caused financial losses and weakened our geopolitical power in logistics in this period when our exports increased and our country gained significant advantages in terms of global supply, said, “As UTIKAD, we will continue to be the voice of the sector and take part in the identification and solutions of problems.”
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