Lankan Ranger
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Turkey & Iraq to speed up opening new border gates
Turkish and Iraqi officials are speeding up their efforts to open new border crossing points and to increase the capacity of existing ones to meet the growing demand of trade between the two countries, the Turkish customs agency has announced.
According to a written statement issued by the Customs Undersecretariat, the first meeting of the joint working group for new border gates convened in Ankara earlier this month with the participation of Customs Undersecretary Ziya Altunyaldız and Ambassador Walid Shiltagh, who is responsible for relations with neighboring countries in the Iraqi Foreign Ministry.
According to the statement, one single border crossing is insufficient to meet a trade volume of about $7.4 billion and traffic exceeding 1.6 million vehicles; moreover, there's a need for opening new border gates.
The two countries also decided to establish a joint technical committee to increase the capacity of the Habur-İbrahim Halil Kara border crossing and to determine the locations of new border gates, including a railway border gate that is to be opened as part of the Turkey-Iraq Railway Project.
Officials also discussed taking the necessary measures to prevent congestion at the gates, and holding training programs for the customs and railway staff. The committee will submit its analyses and observations to the joint working group. The committee is expected to complete its first work in July.
The joint working group for new border gates between Turkey and Iraq was formed within the framework of agreements and the memorandum of understanding signed by the Turkish and Iraqi foreign ministries in 2009.
Turkey, Iraq to speed up opening new border gates
Turkish and Iraqi officials are speeding up their efforts to open new border crossing points and to increase the capacity of existing ones to meet the growing demand of trade between the two countries, the Turkish customs agency has announced.
According to a written statement issued by the Customs Undersecretariat, the first meeting of the joint working group for new border gates convened in Ankara earlier this month with the participation of Customs Undersecretary Ziya Altunyaldız and Ambassador Walid Shiltagh, who is responsible for relations with neighboring countries in the Iraqi Foreign Ministry.
According to the statement, one single border crossing is insufficient to meet a trade volume of about $7.4 billion and traffic exceeding 1.6 million vehicles; moreover, there's a need for opening new border gates.
The two countries also decided to establish a joint technical committee to increase the capacity of the Habur-İbrahim Halil Kara border crossing and to determine the locations of new border gates, including a railway border gate that is to be opened as part of the Turkey-Iraq Railway Project.
Officials also discussed taking the necessary measures to prevent congestion at the gates, and holding training programs for the customs and railway staff. The committee will submit its analyses and observations to the joint working group. The committee is expected to complete its first work in July.
The joint working group for new border gates between Turkey and Iraq was formed within the framework of agreements and the memorandum of understanding signed by the Turkish and Iraqi foreign ministries in 2009.
Turkey, Iraq to speed up opening new border gates
