Turkey, Iraq agree on opening border gate through Tal Afar

Turkey has agreed with the Iraqi Central Government to open another border gate with Iraq through Tal Afar, home to a predominantly ethnic Turkmen population, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said on Tuesday.

"The current route, heading down to Kirkuk will continue. We will start to put into action another border gate through Tal Afar in the short term, in agreement with the Iraqi government."

Turkey’s Customs and Trade minister Bülent Tüfenkci said on Thursday that Turkey had reached an agreement with Iraq on opening a second border gate.

“Most of our trade is with the central government of Baghdad, not with northern Iraq, and there is consensus on the opening of a second border gate with the central Iraqi government. After the necessary steps are taken, the Ovaköy border gate can be opened,” said Tüfenkci.

Iraq's central government has taken over control of the main land crossing into Turkey from the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said on Tuesday.

"Habur border gate has been handed over to the central government as of this morning," Yıldırım told members of his ruling AK Party in parliament.