Prime Minister Mr. Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi visits the Border Ports Authority •••••••••• Today, Friday, the Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mr. Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi, paid a visit to the headquarters of the Border Ports Authority. The Prime Minister saluted, via a television broadcast, the directors of the border crossings and their workers, praising their efforts and their great role in protecting the country’s sovereignty and economy, and ensuring the safety of citizens, stressing that the border crossings represent the state’s façade and its economic, security and sovereign gateway. His Excellency stressed the necessity of accelerating the completion of the border crossing automation project and ending attempts at fraud, corruption and manipulation, directing that all ports be linked to a robust electronic system, providing an integrated daily situation on the movement of work and revenues, and benefiting from the leading global experiences in managing border crossings. The Prime Minister directed that the border crossings be self-financing, with tax and customs fees deducted starting and before transfers are made, in addition to deducting service fees that are allocated for the purposes of rehabilitating and developing the crossings. His Excellency stressed that combating corruption at border crossings will be a top priority, and that the next stage will witness unprecedented and firm measures in this direction, stressing that smuggling drugs and medicines, defrauding the competent authorities, and other forms of smuggling represent serious crimes that target society and kill the Iraqi people, and there will be no leniency towards their perpetrators. For his part, the head of the Border Ports Authority, Mr. Omar Adnan Al-Waeli, reviewed the development road project and its importance, following the signing of the agreement to begin implementing it with the Turkish side, explaining the paths of the road, both its rail and land sides, and the possibilities of connecting it through Syria and Saudi Arabia, as well as the linking stations with the Iraqi governorates. Mr. Al-Waeli also reviewed efforts to develop the work of border crossings, most notably activating a robust electronic system for transit, linking with the ASYCUDA system, addressing unofficial crossings, controlling financial transfer operations, combating drug smuggling, reviewing customs exemptions, and combating forgery of tax receipts. The Chairman of the Border Ports Authority explained to the Prime Minister the increase in customs revenues during the current year, after adopting a precise electronic mechanism to control the movement of trucks, and rehabilitating a number of border crossings to improve the level of their services, thus enhancing their ability to protect the national economy. ••••• Media Office of the Prime Minister 14-August-2026