The decision will be implemented after the federal government in Baghdad reaches a deal on the move with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Abdul Mahdi told a news conference.

According to Reuters he said the unified procedures would make it easier to transport imported goods and commodities.

Currently, the KRG independently imposes and collects custom tariffs on imported goods in border areas it controls, which Baghdad considers illegal.

Baghdad in turn imposes more tariffs of its own on commodities coming in from Kurdish-controlled border areas and the double customs have been seen as a burden by traders.

Abdel Mahdi said he would meet Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani, who arrived in Baghdad on Thursday. Barzani resigned as the region’s president following a failed bid for independence but remains the leader of its largest party.

Barzani, still one of the most influential Kurdish politicians in Iraq, has not visited Baghdad since before the referendum, which took place in September 2017.

“I will meet Barzani tomorrow on relations between Erbil and Baghdad to discuss key issues that will strengthen relations between Erbil and Baghdad. We want to help the region and its citizens,” Abdul Mahdi said.

Reporter’s code: 50101