Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - September 13, 2000 - Disturbing News Reports on the Sinking of Iranian Boats in Bosnia and Croatia

Meeting with Davood Kashavarzian, the then governor of Mazandaran, and a report from Mohammad Hashem, the then Deputy Minister of Roads and Transportation, regarding development plans.

Visit to the pier belonging to the Ministry of Jihad for Construction.

Disturbing news reports on the sinking of Iranian boats in Bosnia and Croatia.

The full entry of the day:

We remained at the headquarters until the evening, spending time resting, studying, and enjoying the sea. In the evening, Mr. Davood Kashavarzian, the governor, came, and we went together to the site of the Caspian Port (Amirabad) under construction. Mr. Mohammad Hashem, the Deputy Minister of Roads, provided explanations; the first phase is nearly ready for operation, featuring a depth of 5.5 meters, suitable for five-thousand-ton ships. The project commenced during my tenure and has since faced delays. Approximately four billion tomans have been spent so far, with a railway connected to it, and the area designated as an economic zone. The policy of the Development Government was to strengthen Iran's presence in the Caspian Sea, which had diminished during the Soviet era, by constructing ports and establishing shipbuilding factories along the Caspian coast. Unfortunately, this policy has stagnated in practice, and the Sadra shipbuilding factory is also not functioning well.

We also visited the Jihad for Construction pier. I spoke with the fishermen who use this pier for kilka fishing. They are requesting the expedited delivery of the main pier, which is still not fully dredged. They mentioned that for each twenty-ton vessel annually, a catch of 680 tons is anticipated, which is insufficient, as Russians are fishing with larger boats.

We returned to the headquarters in the evening. I read the news and went to sleep after a short walk. It rained here last night, with reports indicating 25 millimeters of rainfall in Gonbad. Fatemeh, Ashraf, and Aqa Reza were with us. Fati, Mehdi, and others went to Tehran today.

For some time, incidents of the sinking of boats carrying Iranian migrants in Bosnia and Croatia and their detentions at the borders have been recurring, as Bosnia does not require visas for Iranians. Illegal migrants are using this route to reach Europe, similar to Turkey.