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'Ovakoy' a new border gate between Turkey to
Kurdistan
26.1.2007 |
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January
26, 2007
A new border gate will be soon put into service at
Ovakoy, on the Turkish-Kurdistan region (Iraqi
border), alleviating congestion at the Habur gate
and generating revenue of $3 billion.
The new crossing will be used as an alternative to
Habur, currently the only gate along
Turkish-Kurdistan region (Iraqi border), serving as
a
significant source of revenue for Kurdish groups in
Kurdistan (northern Iraq) as well as for the
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
Particularly since the onset of the war in Iraq,
Kurdish groups have collected large sums of money
from traffic through the Habur gate, with illegal
taxes and fees levied by the Kurdish groups
reportedly amounting to $400 million annually.
The new gate is expected to provide a safe and "bribeless"
passage through Ovakoy to Baghdad without
interference from Kurdish groups in
northern Iraq.
Following intensive meetings with Iraqi Foreign
Minister Hoshyar Zabari, Turkey decided to build the
Ovakoy border gate to decrease the Kurdish
groups" income via the Habur gate and to ease
traffic congestion as well increase the volume of
trade between Turkey and Kurdistan-Iraq.
The gate will also be accompanied by a road that
will be built alongside the Kirkuk-Yumurtalik
pipeline, ensuring direct contact with the southern
regions of Iraq.
The entire project will contribute to the safety of
investor companies and their suppliers in Iraq.
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