Rudaw - Authorities in the Kurdistan Region have announced that the main border gate of Parwez Khan to the neighbouring Iran will be fully automised before June this year to facilitate the growing movement of travellers and goods between the two countries.�

The office of Kurdistan Region customs service said last week the electronic system will be installed in all Kurdish border crossings this year to cope with the increasing number of visitors and cross border trade.

Abdulqadir Abdulla said both border crossings of Haji Omran and Bashmakh on the Iranian border have been connected to the electronic system and work to cover other gates is expected to be complete before end of this year.

�It will be considerably easier to provide services and monitor the movements across the borders when the gates are automised,� Abdulla told Rudaw.

Kurdistan Region administrates four international border gates on Turkish and Iranian borders with an annual trade volume of $15 billion in 2013 before the country plunged into economic recession.

Iran and the Kurdistan region are currently engaged in trade through three official and as many non-official border stations. Last year, bilateral trade between the two was estimated at $4.5 billion.

Iran has announced it plans to expand trade but crush the cross- border smuggling of goods by locals.
The two official border gates of Haji Omran and Parwiz Khan between Iran and the Kurdistan region are used for larger trade between the countries, with goods crossing on trucks and trailers.
In 2012, restrictions on visitors and vehicles between the two countries were lifted, allowing travelers free movement across the border without visa permits.