- Title: Turkey limits border traffic at Syria crossing - customs minister
- Date: 10th August 2017
- Summary: ANKARA, TURKEY (AUGUST 10, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TURKISH CUSTOMS AND TRADE MINISTER, BULENT TUFENKCI (SECOND FROM LEFT) SEATED WITH OTHER OFFICIALS EUROPEAN UNION AMBASSADOR TO TURKEY, CHRISTIAN BERGER (LEFT), LISTENING TO COLLEAGUE (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) TURKISH CUSTOMS AND TRADE MINISTER, BULENT TUFENKCI, SAYING: "Since the control of Bab al-Hawa across Cilvegozu border gate is seized by a group that we deem as a terrorist organisation, there will be tight control and slowing down of the passage of all import products other than humanitarian aid until that group's control ends, or at least weakens." CILVEGOZU, TURKEY (AUGUST 10, 2017) (REUTERS) TRUCKS CROSSING BORDER GATE VARIOUS OF UNITED NATIONS CAR ARRIVING AT BORDER TRUCK LEAVING BORDER GATE PEOPLE AT BORDER GATE TRUCK CROSSING BORDER GATE TRUCK PARKED WITH BANNER READING (Turkish): "Syrian People's Aid Truck
- Embargoed: 24th August 2017 13:33
- Keywords: Customs and Trade Minister Bulent Tufenkci Turkey limiting movement of non-humanitarian goods Bab al-Hawa border Hayat Tahrir al Sham al Qaeda offshoot Nusra Front Idlib province Syria
- Location: ANKARA AND CILVEGOZU, TURKEY
- City: ANKARA AND CILVEGOZU, TURKEY
- Country: Turkey
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0016TKQLON
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Turkey will limit the movement of non-humanitarian goods at the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Syria because the Syrian side is controlled by a "terrorist organisation", Customs and Trade Minister Bulent Tufenkci said on Thursday (August 10).
Last month, Hayat Tahrir al Sham, a rebel alliance spearheaded by the former al Qaeda offshoot Nusra Front, took control of the border area and most of Idlib province in several days of heavy fighting with its main rival, Ahrar al-Sham.
Tufenkci told Turkey's NTV channel that Turkey's tight border control will remain in place until the militant group's control over the area ends or weakens.
The crossing handles tens of millions of dollars worth of trade and humanitarian relief annually and the prospect of its fall into the hands of jihadist insurgents had raised fears among the international and regional aid community that it would hamper aid flows.
Bab al-Hawa was a major international crossing before the crisis and handled billions of dollars of overland trade from Europe to the Gulf through Syria. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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