New border crossing between Kurdistan Region, Turkey to open

The new port will be the second border crossing to the Kurdistan Region between the countries after Ibrahim Khalil.

Kurdistan 24 2023/05/08 16:43

The Zit International Border Crossing. (Photo: KRG)

Kurdistan the Zit International Border Crossing Mergasor Kurdistan Region Turkey

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A new border crossing between Iraq’s Kurdistan Region and Turkey will officially open this week, making it the second port of entry between the two countries, according to the government.

Located in Mergasor district in northern Erbil province, the Zit International Border Crossing will initially serve as a tourist route, Halgurd Sheikh Najib, the head of Soran Independent Administration, informed the KRG Media and Information Department.

Officials from the Kurdistan Region and Turkey will take part in the inauguration ceremony, the official added.

The new port will be the third border crossing to the Kurdistan Region between the countries after Ibrahim Khalil.

The crossing will also serve as a trade route in the future, the local official added.

The Ibrahim Khalil crossing, located 60 kilometers (37 miles) northwest of Duhok, is one of the most-transited border crossings between Turkey, Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. It is also Iraq’s main gateway to Europe.

The Duhok province borders Turkey via the Ibrahim Khalil (Habur in Turkish) border crossing, where billions of dollars of economic activity takes place, as the only trade gate into Iraq.