Vehicles pass through the Rabia district gate in Nineveh governorate, near the Iraqi-Syrian border.
Iraq to reopen Rabia border crossing with Syria on April 20 as trade routes expand
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Border Ports Commission announced plans to reopen the Rabia border crossing with Syria in Nineveh governorate on April 20, as Baghdad moves to expand western trade routes following months of disruption to southern shipping lanes.
Commission head Omar al-Waeli told the state news agency the crossing will serve transit traffic, travelers, goods and oil exports, and is expected to create local employment. “On April 20, the Rabia border crossing in Nineveh governorate will be opened, which will have great benefit and will employ local workers, and it will also be used for transit, the Development Road, the movement of travelers and goods, trade exchange and oil as well,” he said.
Rabia has been closed for nearly 15 years, remaining shut throughout years of conflict in Syria. Its strategic value lies in its proximity to Turkey — the subdistrict director told 964media in January that trucks can travel from Turkey to Mosul in just 180 kilometers via the Rabia route, passing only 85 kilometers from the Turkish-Syrian Nusaybin crossing. The crossing also sits along the planned Development Road linking the Grand Faw Port in southern Iraq to Turkey and Europe.
The announcement follows the reopening of the al-Waleed crossing in Anbar governorate, through which Iraqi crude oil tankers have already begun entering Syria bound for the Baniyas refinery. Al-Waeli said the two crossings form part of a broader government strategy to diversify Iraq’s trade and transit infrastructure, particularly as the Strait of Hormuz disruption exposed the vulnerability of relying almost entirely on southern maritime routes.
Al-Waeli also confirmed that inspection companies have expanded their operations to customs checkpoints between federal crossings and Kurdistan Region crossings, with electronic governance linking inspection data to prevent forgery. He said preparations are also underway at the Arar border crossing to receive Iraqi pilgrims and overland travelers in the coming days.