More than 5,000 Iraqis leave for Iran every day to escape the summer

More than 5,000 Iraqis leave for Iran every day to escape the summer


 Wasit / Jabbar with Jay

A local official in the province of Wasit, the departure of more than five thousand Iraqis a day through the port of Zurbatip to escape the intensity of heat, stressing that the port management works 24 hours to facilitate the exit procedures that do not exceed a few minutes, The entry visa, which amounted to 75 thousand Iraqi dinars, others said that they set up roads and places of tourism and entertainment and no longer need a tourist guide as a result of frequent travel to those areas.


"The port of Zurbatiya is witnessing daily the departure of thousands of citizens from Wasit province or from other provinces to Iran to escape the heat wave and the purpose of going to Iran takes two parts either to visit the thresholds," said the commander of Badrah district Jaafar Mohammed Abdul Jabbar. Sacred or for the purpose of tourism there away from heat wave and power cuts. "
He added that "among the departures there are a lot of families that leave the entire population for the purpose of tourism and summer in Iran after the temperature in Iraq more than 50 degrees Celsius in a severe wave of heat accompanied by frequent interruptions of electricity has been a reason to increase travel, .
"The Directorate of Passports in the port of Zurbatiya are given several thousand per day exit statements for people with a visa to enter Iran, which is obtained from the Iranian embassy in Baghdad or consulates in other provinces."
He pointed out that "the administration of the port works 24 hours and continuously to complete the procedures for the marking of people leaving after the doubling of staff working in the port, which did not record any cases of delays for passengers only a few minutes."
For his part, Abu Muhannad, representative of a travel and tourism company said that "the turnout of Iraqis in general and the people of Wasit province to travel to Iran these days is increasing because of the severe heat wave experienced by the country."
"Hundreds of people come to our company on a daily basis for the purpose of obtaining a travel visa to Iran. Most of the passengers are full families, including employees who have taken leave from their circles to get rid of the extreme heat," he said.
He pointed out that "the majority of travelers prefer to travel in the form of different groups numbers, especially young people, especially as many of them have traveled many times to Iran and became fully aware of the tourist areas and the pastures and shrines, as well as wages of housing, transportation and food and even language has become easy for many Iraqis who Their travel to Iran is repeated. "
Shahid called on the Iraqi government to work with its Iranian counterpart to lift the entry visa between the two countries, especially that the visa has become up to 75 thousand dinars, which the travel agencies and visa offices and this is a very large amount.
Pointing out that "the current season is the season of recovery of the work of tourism companies, which fall in the winter each year."
"The cost of the visa, which currently reaches 75 thousand Iraqi dinars, is expensive for families with more than four people in return for transportation and food costs and housing to a certain extent in Iran, especially since this visa was not before the period does not exceed 55 thousand dinars."
He called on the Iraqi Foreign Ministry to "work seriously to raise the visa between the two countries, especially as the rate of entry of Iranians to Iraq is several times the entry of Iraqis to Iran and to visit the holy sites between the two countries."
"The current amount of the visa, which reached 75 thousand dinars for the regular visa one hundred thousand dinars for the quick visa is a large and expensive and must be reviewed and accounting of tourism offices that raise the ceiling of the amount of the visa at the expense of the simple citizen.
For his part, Hassoun Salam, a young man who traveled to Iran for the purpose of tourism, said that "traveling to Iran was the beginning of the matter, ie seven or eight years ago, which was very difficult due to the Iraqis not recognizing the language and the currency as well as the tourist and religious areas. But now it is very different and anyone can travel alone or with his family or friends after it has become easy and the majority of Iraqis have realized most of the tourist and entertainment places and transport companies in Iran and hotels. "
"The only obstacle now is the entry visa, which amounted to 75 thousand dinars, as it must be reviewed by the Iraqi government, specifically the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and reduced to a reasonable and appropriate and symbolic, for example, $ 20."
Stressing that "the travel of Iraqis to Iran, especially the southern provinces and Baghdad and the Middle Euphrates did not stop throughout the year and not in the summer, in winter there are those who want to travel to Iran to enjoy the views of snow and rain, and there are those who go to visit or for the treatment.
The current port of Zurbatia is one of the most important ports with the Republic of Iran and has witnessed since the opening in April 2003 active movement in the trade exchange between the two countries in addition to the entry and exit of visitors from both countries has witnessed in recent years major development and rehabilitation to accommodate the trade movement, Between the two countries.
It is noteworthy that the Iraqi-Iranian relations witnessed a clear development in the wake of the fall of the former regime after it was completely stopped during the eight-year war in the eighties of the last century and Iraq has an embassy in Tehran as well as Iran's embassy in Baghdad and five consulates general, including two in the Kurdistan region in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah To other consulates in Basra, Najaf and in the holy province of Karbala.


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