TEHRAN – After more than a year of closure following the coronavirus outbreak, Iran and Turkey have reopened a land border to passengers, ISNA reported on Friday.

The Kapikoy-Razi border reopened on May 17, and a group of 41 Iranian women entrepreneurs and artists recently entered the city of Van in Turkey, where city hoteliers greeted them with flowers, according to the report.

Tourists and vehicles are allowed to cross the border with negative COVID-19 PCR test results issued 72 hours before entry.

However, the Razi-Kapikoy border on the Iranian side is still closed to tourists, and only diplomats, businessmen and people who have a residence permit or study and live in Turkey are allowed to cross it.

With Turkey being a country crossed by many trips by Iranians living abroad and foreign nationals to Iran, the coronavirus pandemic has prevented several businessmen and students from continuing their activities and has even left patients defenseless. who wish to go abroad for further processing.

Some 1.37 million Iranian tourists visited Turkey in the first eight months of 2019, representing 4.4% of all international arrivals to the country.

ABU / AFM