TEHRAN – Iranian Ambassador to Turkey  Mohammad Ebrahim Teherian expressed hope on Friday that the trasport flow in the Gurbulak-Bazargan border crossing gets smoother.

“I hope enough facilities are provided in the border crossing for rapid transit of trucks and passengers,” the envoy was quoted as saying while visiting the area.

Early March, a footage showing an Iranian being beaten by Turkish security guards in Gurbulak, a village in province Agri in eastern Turkey, went viral, prompting a stir iside Iran.

Tehran demanded a probe into the “dsrespect” to the Iranian tourists.

Days after unnamed Turkish sources said the officer had been fired.

Annually, an average of 1.5-2 million Iranians choose Turkey as their major holiday destinations.

Turkey has been unsafe for tourists over the past years, hit by numerous terrorist attacks. 

Last week, Iran’s Foreign Ministry urged Iranians to avoid making unnecessary trips to Turkey during the upcoming Noruz (Iranian New Year which starts on March 21) holiday.

Reacting to the warning, Turkish Ambassador to Iran, Riza Hakan Tekin accused Tehran of launching what he called “smear campaigns” against Turkey, stressing it would negatively influence bilateral ties between the neighboring countries.  

“This responsibility falls on the Iranian side,” Tekin said, speaking to Anadolu Agency.

AK/AK