Iraq finance minister backs unified customs system with Kurdistan Region

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi Finance Minister Falah Sari said integrating customs systems and procedures between the federal government and the Kurdistan Region represents a strategic step in Iraq's economic reform process. Sari made the remarks at a joint meeting in Baghdad between the General Commission of Customs and the Kurdistan Region's customs authority, attended by representatives of relevant sector institutions, according to a statement from the Finance Ministry. The talks focused on ways to implement the global ASYCUDA system at customs centers in the Kurdistan Region. The ministry said the system would help boost non-oil revenues, tighten oversight of goods movements and curb smuggling. Participants also reviewed progress on digital transformation, procedural simplification and stronger electronic controls at border crossings under federal government authority. At the end of the meeting, the two sides signed a joint memorandum outlining recommendations and implementation steps for rolling out the system across Kurdish customs centers. The memorandum will be submitted to the Council of Ministers of Economy to complete the required formal procedures. The Finance Ministry said the meeting is part of a broader digital transformation project aimed at aligning Iraq's customs operations with international standards.