Eleven chambers of commerce and stock exchanges in North Kurdistan called for the reopening of the customs gate in Mardin's Nusaybin district, which has been closed since 2012.

In a joint statement in front of the customs gate on Wednesday, they called for the Nusaybin customs gate to be opened for trade and human passage as soon as possible.

Mehmet Kaya, President of the Diyarbakır Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, “The gate must be opened as soon as possible in order to strengthen social peace in the region and establish mutual trust.”

Kaya said that business people who want to trade with Syria incur great costs over 1000 kilometers of distance and emphasized that the opening of the gate is important not only for economic but also for social relations.

Necdet Aktaş, President of Nusaybin Commodity Exchange, noted that the gate is of strategic importance in terms of transportation to Iraq and said, “The start of direct trade with Syria will contribute significantly to Turkey-Syria trade relations in addition to increasing production and exports in our region, reducing migration, creating new markets, increasing employment and revitalizing the economy in the region.”

Mahsum Özmen, President of the Nusaybin Chamber of Commerce and Industry, stated that the opening of the gate will contribute not only to economic but also to social and cultural cooperation. He added: “Therefore, we expect the authorities both in Syria and Turkey to carry out the necessary work to open the gate.”