ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – A delegation from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday to hold talks regarding border crossings and the implementation of an international customs system. 

The New Region has learned that the KRG delegation, consisting of interior ministry advisor Sami Jamal, customs head Kamal Raouf, and taxes and state properties head Kamal Taib, will remain in Baghdad for two days to hold several meetings with officials from relevant Iraqi authorities. 

The Iraqi government has decided to implement the ASYCUDA international customs system across the country by December 1. The KRG, however, has requested that its customs system remain intact, arguing that it is more advanced than ASYCUDA, with features such as barcodes and QR codes showcasing all necessary information. 

Baghdad wants to integrate Erbil’s customs more directly with the national customs automation system, so that companies in the KRG can operate under the same import and export conditions as those in the rest of Iraq.

ASYCUDA is an international customs management system that provides the ability to record basic information about imported commercial goods and their type, as well as providing facilities for their transport procedures. 

Disputes over the system’s implementation have created obstacles for traders and companies in the Kurdistan Region for years, negatively affecting the local market and the economy.