Iraqi officials expected that the economic movement between Baghdad and the Gulf states would witness activity after the opening of the Arar border crossing for trade exchange and the movement of individuals.
The crossing is the only outlet with Saudi Arabia, and over the past years it has been designated for the transport of Iraqi pilgrims only, and it has not allowed the transport of goods or people to travel through it.
Iraq and Saudi Arabia agreed in July 2019 on the customs mechanisms to be adopted at the Arar border crossing, during the conduct of trade exchange between the two countries.
Delayed opening
The Iraqi Customs Authority attributed the delay in opening the Arar crossing for commercial purposes to the lack of completion of the technical procedures.
A spokeswoman for the authority, Ghufran Abdullah, said that the delay in opening the crossing is related to the systems of trade exchange, the preparation of spaces for vehicle parking and new buildings, and sufficient spaces for trade movement within the administrative borders of the crossing.
And she stressed that the delay is not political, but rather related to the procedures that must be completed by Iraq at the port.
The Arar border crossing was scheduled to open for commercial exchange last October, but the opening process was postponed more than once.
Iraq does not have any land port that connects it with the Gulf states, except for the Arar port, as traders hope that its opening will contribute to stimulating economic movement with these countries.
A member of the Economic Committee in the Iraqi Parliament, Faisal Al-Issawi, said that the opening of the Arar crossing will have a major economic impact on Iraq, noting that "it will reduce the momentum obtained on the other crossings in Iraq, whether southern or northern, and will activate the economic and commercial movement between the Red Sea, Iraq and the Arabian Gulf." .
Al-Issawi explained that the crossing will provide great job opportunities for the Iraqi side, stressing the need to agree in advance on the goods and goods that Iraq must export to Saudi Arabia or other Gulf countries.
Last July, the Iraqi authorities suggested that the Saudi side cancel entry visas (visas) for businessmen between the two countries, as part of the procedures for facilitating trade exchange.
A competition arena
The economic and financial expert, Abdul-Hussein Al-Mandhari, believes that the opening of the Arar crossing will absorb the pressure on imports from other countries, including the crossings with Iran.
He stated that the Arar crossing will be subject to administrative and security control of the federal government, unlike the rest of the crossings, over which the government has now begun operations to regain control.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi was scheduled to make an official visit to Saudi Arabia early this month, but it was postponed indefinitely due to the Saudi king's exposure to a health emergency.
Saudi Arabia resumed diplomatic relations with Iraq in December 2015, after 25 years of being cut short by the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990.
After decades of tension, relations began to improve, following a visit to Baghdad by then Saudi Foreign Minister, Adel Al-Jubeir, on February 25, 2017.
Observers believe that Iraq represents one of the arenas for the competition for regional influence between Saudi Arabia and Iran.