Turkey’s planned border gate with newly-liberated Afrin in Syria’s northwest is set to become “more than just a customs crossing,” as Turkey foils Western attempts aimed at severing its ties with the region by creating a terror corridor on its southern borders.
Preparations have been initiated to open a new customs gate for the passage from Turkey’s Hatay to Syria’s Afrin in order to facilitate and ease the delivery of humanitarian aid to the region. The gate, which is planned to be opened near the Hamam village in Hatay’s Kumlu district, will be named “Olive Branch” in reference to Turkey’s military campaign in the region.
Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch on Jan. 20 to clear terrorist groups from Afrin, northwestern Syria amid growing threats from the region.
On March 18, Turkish-backed troops liberated the town center of Afrin, which had been a major hideout for the YPG/PKK since 2012.
The decision to name this gate as “Olive Branch” will be a clear message to the terror plots in the region and will be remembered for generations.
Plans to build a border crossing between Turkey and Syria in the border city of Hatay first started 65 years ago, which was met by excitement from the region’s population in both countries, especially following the defunct state of the existing Yayladağı and Cilvegözü border crossings amid the raging war in Syria, which left them out of service.
Over the past few days, Yeni Şafak daily first reported on the plans to open the border gate under the name “Olive Branch” as preparations for the announcement were underway.
The planned border gate will enable humanitarian aid to reach Afrin, which was cleared from terrorists, more easily and conveniently.
Set to become the second customs crossing from Hatay after Cilvegözü, Olive Branch gate is set to be built in the Şarkhamamı neighborhood of the Hatay town of Kumlu, eight and 40 kilometers from Jindaris and Afrin respectively.
The opening of the planned border gate will pass through strategically-important of Jindaris, the second biggest urban center after Afrin.
Over the coming months, the transportation of aid supplies to Afrin through the planned border gate will be prioritized. However, the crossing’s post-war prospects are significant as the Olive Branch gate will be the shortest trade route to Aleppo.
The soon-to-be opened border gate is widely regarded as “more than just a simple customs crossing” by security specialists who closely follow developments in the region.
According to military sources, the new border gate signifies a “powerful response” from Turkey against Western attempts aimed at severing its ties with the region through its southern borders.
When asked about the U.S. opposing certain border gates, Turkish Customs and Trade Minister Bülent Tüfenkci replied saying “We don’t open border gates in accordance with U.S. desires.”
