Stating that trade is a two-sided transaction, Armağan Şahin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Asil Transport Co. said, “Every visa that cannot be obtained harms EU countries as well as Turkey. The outdated visa application should be abolished and a fast visa system should be implemented instead in the new world economic order.”
One of the biggest problems of the logistics sector, which is the most important stakeholder of the industrialists in Turkey, which aims for export-oriented growth, is the visa issue. The problems experienced by truck drivers regarding visas have peaked in recent years.
Armağan Şahin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Asil Transport Co. noted that drivers are forced to wait for long periods of time even to make an appointment for visas and said, “Short-term visas are issued for our drivers in the sector. I can understand that long-term visas are not issued. A system that can provide fast visas for short-term visas should be created. If we can get visas quickly, we will prevent many of our problems as a sector. Because at the moment, we have to deal with appointments for at least 1-2 months to get visas.”
EVERY VISA THAT CANNOT BE OBTAINED IS AN ECONOMIC LOSS TO OUR COUNTRY
Stating that in order for truck drivers to enter the European Union (EU) region, they must first obtain a visa, Şahin said that there are problems with Schengen appointments, visa applications of new drivers are rejected, while experienced drivers are given short-term visas. Underlining that due to this chaotic visa situation, Turkish logistics companies and Turkish citizen professional truck drivers are unable to deliver the products that the EU demands from Turkey, Şahin emphasized that not only Turkey but also global investors, producers, commercial enterprises and consumers, in short, international trade suffers in this situation.
Pointing out that every visa that cannot be obtained causes our country to lose economically, Şahin said, “The inability of our drivers to obtain visas means that our vehicles cannot operate. Our trucks, which cannot be used depending on the driver and are idle, cause our country’s economy to be written in minus. Turkish trucks should travel freely on the roads and travel for many kilometers without visa barriers. The system that makes world trade difficult with visas, quotas and transit barriers must change. We foresee that a faster visa system should be implemented in the new world economic order. We think that the EU should facilitate the visa issue.” Stating that tourism visas and commercial visas should be subjected to separate procedures, Şahin stated that they demanded a new visa system that would not tire anyone, especially during holiday periods.
EU COUNTRIES SUFFER THE MOST WITH THE VISA APPLICATION!
Stating that there are very important companies with EU capital in Turkey, Şahin said that EU countries are one of the parties that suffer the most with this outdated visa application. Noting that there is a very serious trade between Turkey and the EU, Şahin said that Turkey, which is not included in the EU, is actually indirectly an EU country, because many EU investors in Turkey lead the trade with their factories and products. Stating that the EU pays the bill for the visa problem that hinders the growth in EU-Turkey trade, which has great potential, Şahin emphasized that trade is a multi-faceted process and that this process should not be blocked.
