ANKARA, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Turkey and Iraq have reached an agreement on opening a new border gate, Turkish Customs and Trade Minister Bulent Tufenkci said on Thursday.
"Most of our trade is with the central government of Baghdad, not with northern Iraq, and there is consensus on the opening of the Ovakoy border gate, a second border gate with the central Iraqi government," Tufenkci was quoted by state-run Anadolu Agency.
The Ovakoy border gate, located in Turkey's southeastern Sirnak province near northern Iraq, will bypass the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) as an alternative to the existing Habur border gate.
The construction of the new gate will begin once the necessary security measures are taken.
"Once steps are taken to secure the path, there is no other obstacle for us," the minister said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Oct. 3 that a new border crossing in Ovakoy is technically possible, but Iraqi government "needs to provide security and corridor beyond Turkish border."
According to daily Yeni Safak, Turkey has referred to the Ovakoy border gate as a new trade hub with the Baghdad government, and a great volume of trade will be shifted from Habur to Ovakoy after the new border gate opens.
"If Turkey closes the Habur gate to the Barzani administration, the KRG supply line will draw to a close," said the report.
