The only official land border gate between Turkey and Iraq is at Ibrahim Khalil, in the Kurdistan Region near Duhok province’s Zakho and Turkey’s Sirnak. Ambassador Fatih Yildiz envisions a trade boost, including in Iraqi oil, if a new crossing is established.
“One border crossing with Iraq is not enough,” Yildiz told Rudaw’s Rebaz Ali. Erbil and Baghdad have considered developing the Ibrahim Khalil gate, “but we need another border crossing as well,” he said.
Baghdad has several times expressed the desire for a direct land link to Turkey, primarily to export oil. The issue has returned to the forefront as the Iraqi government looks for an alternate route for its oil exports apart from the problematic Strait of Hormuz.
Yildiz explained that talks between Baghdad and Ankara on the subject are positive. “Talks are ongoing with Iraq about the new border crossing, but it is very important for both Erbil and Baghdad to work together to open the new border crossing,” he said.
The proposed new border crossing would also be located in Duhok province, according to Yildiz. The entire frontier between Iraq and Turkey lies within Kurdistan Region territory, putting control into the hands of the regional government.
In a meeting with Kadhim al-Aqaabi, chairman of the Iraqi Border Access Authority, on Monday, Yildiz stressed the importance of Baghdad and Erbil reaching a consensus on a second border crossing.
Trade between Iraq and Turkey suffered a setback during the war against the Islamic State (ISIS), totaling $16 billion in 2013, but has started to bounce back with the territorial defeat of the terror group.
In 2018, “Our trade with Iraq was $13 billion and we aim to increase our trading with Iraq,” Yildiz said in the interview.
“Turkey is exporting 3,000 different products into Iraq,” Yildiz confirmed. This is despite a ban from Baghdad on some imports. Iraq has banned imports of many agricultural products including eggs and chickens in order to support and protect domestic food production.
In January, Iraqi President Barham Salih visited Ankara and met with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan who said he wanted to see trade increase to $20 billion.
Turkey is also an important trading partner for the Kurdistan Region, which relies on its neighbour for trade, investment, and oil sales. Like Iraq, the Kurdistan Region’s economy is weighted heavily in favor of foreign imports of food and consumer goods, paid for with oil wealth.
