Customs checkpoint to be installed between Erbil, Kirkuk after reopening of road: statement

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have reached an agreement to reopen the Kirkuk – Erbil road after over nine months of closure.

In a statement on Sunday, the office of the Baghdad-imposed Kirkuk Governor revealed that Baghdad and Erbil had reached an agreement to reopen the Perde (Altun Kupri) road which connects the provinces of Kirkuk and Erbil.

The road was shut down after last year’s Oct. 16 attack and military takeover of Kirkuk Province by Iraqi forces and Shia militias.

After months of closure, the KRG unilaterally decided to reopen the main road, but the highway remains closed as Iraqi forces have yet to give civilians access to travel between Erbil and Kirkuk.

On Sunday, a Kurdish delegation, comprised mostly of security officials from the Kurdistan Region’s Interior Ministry, headed to Baghdad to meet with Iraqi officials regarding the reopening of the Kirkuk – Erbil road.

The statement said the renovation of the Perde bridge would start as soon as possible, adding that a joint delegation from Erbil and Baghdad would visit the area to carefully assess and monitor the situation before opening the road.

The acting governor’s statement mentioned that both sides discussed setting up a customs checkpoint on the Perde road, at the request of the federal government, to increase trade movement that would contribute to a growth in federal financial resources.

The statement did not clarify how the taxing mechanism would work or whether it would only be imposed on foreign products or local products transferred between Erbil and Baghdad.

The Kurdistan Region side has not yet issued any statement about the agreement.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany