The Turkish government temporarily closed the Yayladağı border gate on Tuesday for security reasons, two weeks after the bloody twin car bombing attacks in the Reyhanlı district of the southern province of Hatay, which left 51 people dead and dozens more wounded.

In a written statement released on Tuesday afternoon, Customs and Trade Minister Hayati Yazıcı stated that since September of last year there have been certain restrictions imposed on four other border gates for security reasons.

However, Yayladağı has maintained normal crossing procedures.

The statement added that Yayladağı was closed for some time after the Reyhanlı bombings to prevent perpetrators from fleeing the country. Yazıcı said for a one-month period Turkey will allow Syrians to enter into Turkey from Yayladağı and later the border crossing will be completely closed.

The statement added that the Hatay Governor's Office has been informed regarding this change in border crossing procedure.

Cihan