Falah Mustafa: It is not in the interest of the Kurdistan Region to leave borders open

MESOP :“BORDERS WILL BE BORDERS WILL BE BORDERS WILL (Not by Gertrude Stein)

20.04.2014 – Mewan Dolamari – BasNews, Erbil – The head of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Department of Foreign Relations Falah Mustafa announced that the decision to dig the ditches on the Iraq-Syria border was taken by the Assayish (security) and the Peshmarga (military) and that leaving the borders open is not in the interest of the region.

Mustafa told KRG’s official website that the decision was based on previous experiments with ditches dug in Erbil and other cities in the region. Kurdish security and military found it vital to dig them on the Iraq-Syria border in order to prevent terrorists and smugglers from entering the region. He pointed out that in a region like the Middle East where security is a problem it is not in the interest of the Kurdistan Region to leave borders wide open: “The Kurdistan Region has opened its doors to refugees, then why do some people have to smuggle themselves in?” Mustafa also mentioned that the KRG abides by international agreements and respects international borders. He believes that critics of the ditches are politically motivated and do not have good intentions.