“The Sartak border gate was reopened today. Some trucks from here crossed to the side of the Islamic Republic of Iran to bring cargo,” Hussein Ahmad, director of Garmiyan customs, told Rudaw.

Baghdad closed the border crossing on Feb. 10 and KRG has been working to open the gate for more than three months. Sartak-Pishta is located about 220 km southeast of Erbil.

“Today is only the beginning. Cargo will increase on Friday and Saturday, then it will go back to normal,” Ahmad predicted.

He credited efforts of Deputy KRG Prime Minister Qubad Talabani and supervisor of Garmiyan administration Hamid Salar with securing the opening.

“Traders also put pressure on officials to see the route reopened. This is a gate in a very important area with big trade activities. Fortunately, we got the approval of the Iraqi government,” he said.

Reporter’s code: 50101