Shafaq News / The Department of Information and Media in the Kurdistan Regional Government announced the inauguration of a new international border crossing between the region and Turkey, set to take place later this week after a year of work on the main road leading to the crossing.

In a statement, the director of the independent Soran administration, Helkurd Sheikh Najib, revealed that the "Zit International Border Crossing with Turkey will be officially opened to tourists in a ceremony attended by government officials."

Najib also indicated that the second phase would involve activating commercial movement at the new crossing. He added that the Chief of Staff of the Peshmerga forces, Issa Azir, visited the crossing accompanied by a military delegation to discuss the security situation in the area, and that the Kurdistan flag was raised for the first time at the crossing by the District Commissioner of Mergasor.

The statement concluded that the "Zeyt International Border Crossing is located on the border of the Shiroan Mazin subdistrict, within the independent Soran administration of the Mergasor district, and will become a new international crossing between the Kurdistan region and Turkey."

The region currently has five official and main border crossings with its three neighboring countries: "Ibrahim Khalil" near the town of Zakho in northernmost Iraq, connecting the country to Turkey and serving as the main artery supplying the majority of the Kurdistan region's needs; the "Peshkhabur" crossing, located west of the Dohuk province and linking Iraq to Syria; the "Haj Omran" crossing with Iran, located northeast of Erbil; the "Bashmakh" crossing with Iran, situated near the town of Penjwin in eastern al-Sulaymaniyah; and the "Parwezkhan" crossing with Iran, also near the town of Kalar in southern al-Sulaymaniyah.