Turkey and Iraq have agreed to open two new border gates. This was a 2009 plan which had been abandoned and is now been retaken. Construction should begin pretty soon, said Customs and Trade Minister Hayati Yazıcı.

Ankara and Baghdad had agreed on the opening of two new border gates in Ovaköy and Aktepe in 2009. Yazıcı's comments confirm the location of the two border gates as agreed in 2009.

Relations with Baghdad has strengthened recently and Turkey is hoping to boost trade with Iraq, particularly the oil-rich Kurdish-controlled north. Hundreds of trucks and visitors cross the border on a daily basis from the Kurdish region to Turkey.

On a recent visit to Baghdad, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said both countries are dedicated to opening more border gates between Turkey and Iraq and increasing the number of flights between the two countries.

The Kurdish region has also requested that a third bridge crossing the Tigris River be built at the Habur border gate with six lanes in each direction.

The expected trade volume between Turkey and the Kurdish region this year is more than $12 billion.