ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraq's Civil Aviation Authority on Wednesday announced that private companies are prohibited from transporting gold via Erbil and Sulaimani airports due to the lack of federal quality control officers on site to inspect imported gold.

According to the authority’s decree,  firms are prohibited from transporting the precious metal via air freight to the airports due to “the absence of offices of the Federal Central Organization for Standardization and Quality Control for the inspection and marking of imported gold.”

Dozens of tons of gold enter Iraq each year, much of it via Erbil and Sulaimani international airports in the Kurdistan Region. Goldsmiths and merchants in the Region rely on these imports, making them crucial for the local market and trade.

Due to its market value and trade commodity, gold plays an active role in Iraq’s economy, with prices continuously increasing, reflecting regional demand and currency values. Investing and trading gold are common practices among Iraqis due to its fixed value in the face of economic uncertainty and inflation.

Mobile phones and ICT devices are also prohibited from import due to a “lack of official approvals for mobile phones and information technology devices issued by the Media and Communications Authority.”

Border crossing control has been a source of dispute between Erbil and Baghdad, with the Iraqi Border Crossing Authority aiming to centralize customs movements across the country, including the Kurdistan Region.

The demand has continuously been rejected by the Kurdish authorities, who accuse the other side of undermining the Region’s autonomy and trade systems.