“The industrial city, to be constructed on a 125-hectare plot, will host manufacturers of industrial products that are normally imported from Iran into the Kurdish region,” Ali Togiq, director general of Parvizkhan Border Crossing was quoted by IRNA as saying.
“The industrial city, the construction of which will cost $650 million, is to become an important center in trade partnership between the [Kurdish] Region and Iran,” he told Kurdish media, according to Financial Tribune.
“About half of Iran’s non-oil exports to neighboring Iraq is conducted via Parvizkhan,” deputy governor of Qasr-e Shirin for political and social affairs, Nematollah Nazparvardeh, said.
“On average, 800-1,200 trucks carrying Iranian goods pass Parvizkhan Border Checkpoint and head for Iraq daily,” he added.
Iran and Kurdistan Regional Government held an economic conference in Erbil on May 2 with the participation of top officials from the two sides.
During the conference, Prime Minister of Kurdistan Regional Government Nechirvan Barzani said KRG supports any activity that will help strengthen trade ties with its neighbor, Iran.
He noted that 67% of automobile imports to the Kurdistan Region are routed through the Iranian border. According to Barzani, 359 Iranian companies and 135 Iranian factories are active in the Kurdistan Regional Government, all of which create hundreds of local jobs.
Three international border crossings link the Kurdistan Region with Iran: Haji Omaran, Bashmakh, and Parvizkhan.
Barzani said KRG will be making efforts to upgrade five local gates to the international level.
The Kurdish premier stated that trade between Erbil and Tehran currently amounts to about $6.5 billion annually.