KRI seeks closure of unregistered border crossings
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Kurdistan Region (KRI) authorities have formally asked the Iraqi federal government to close unregistered border crossings, warning that they have become a major problem affecting the economies of both Kurdistan and federal Iraqi provinces, Kurdish lawmaker Ikhlas al-Dulaimi said on Sunday.
Al-Dulaimi, a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) parliamentary bloc, told Shafaq News that border crossings in the Kurdistan Region fall into three categories, an issue regularly discussed during negotiations between Baghdad and Erbil.
The first category comprises four crossings officially registered and recognized by the federal government, with their revenues transferred to Baghdad.
Another four crossings are registered with Kurdistan Region authorities but have yet to receive federal recognition. Al-Dulaimi said requests had been submitted to have them formally registered and approved, explaining that a federal committee comprising representatives of the government, Border Ports Authority, and customs authorities had inspected the four crossings and surveyed the border area, subsequently submitting recommendations to the Ministerial Council for Economy for a vote on their official recognition.
The third category consists of numerous crossings that are not registered with either the federal government or the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), al-Dulaimi said, adding that the Region had formally requested their closure.
In June, Iraq's Ministerial Council for Economy ordered the closure of informal crossings and established a joint committee involving federal and KRG authorities to survey border points and determine which should be formally recognized or shut down.
The two governments subsequently announced an agreement in August to implement the ASYCUDA customs system at Kurdistan Region crossings and share customs revenues equally. However, disagreements over tariffs and customs procedures persisted later that month, according to Kurdish business representatives.
