ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraq’s transport minister said that the international road transport agreement known globally as the Transports Internationaux Routiers (TIR) begins from the Kurdistan Region. Razzaq al-Saadawi emphasized the significance of the agreement - recently reactivated after a 40-year hiatus - in reconnecting Iraq and the Region to the global economic map.
Speaking to media outlets, including Rudaw, Saadawi said on Tuesday that the reactivation of the TIR is a “historic event and an important message” to the world that Iraq is a safe, stable country open to international trade.
He further affirmed that the reactivation of this agreement “represents a new success added to the achievements of the services-oriented government led by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani.”
The TIR system is the world’s most widely used international customs transit mechanism, currently adopted by more than 78 contracting parties, including numerous countries and the European Union.
The agreement’s main aim is to simplify customs procedures for goods traveling across international borders by road. It facilitates the movement of goods across international borders by allowing cargo to travel in sealed vehicles under a single customs document - the TIR Carnet - with minimal border inspections.
The system simplifies customs procedures, reduces delays, and streamlines international trade by road.
According to the Iraqi transport minister, Saadawi, the resumption of the TIR system in Iraq also paves the way for the successful implementation of the strategic Development Road Project implementation and “ensures safe and smooth interregional trade and represents an open invitation to investors and the private sector to strongly enter the Iraqi market.”
Spanning 1,200 kilometers, the Development Road Project begins at the southern Iraqi province of Basra’s Faw Port on the Persian Gulf and stretches to the northern borders with Turkey. The $17 billion corridor will feature both railways and highways designed to transport goods and passengers with the goal of making Iraq a trade hub.
Asked by Rudaw about whether the TIR includes the Kurdistan Region, Saadawi underlined, “In fact, it begins from the Kurdistan Region,” stressing that it will provide significant advantages for traders and investors throughout both Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
The reactivation of the TIR system is expected to reduce transport time by around 80 percent, lower costs by approximately 38 percent, and create thousands of job opportunities for youth, according to official statements from Iraq.
