Turkish, Iraqi, Qatari and Emirati transportation ministers attended a summit in Istanbul on Thursday to discuss the Development Road Project, launched by Baghdad last year.
The proposed $20 billion Development Road Project is designed to facilitate the transport of goods from the Gulf to Europe via the Grand Faw Port in Basra in southern Iraq. The port would be linked to Türkiye and subsequently to Europe through an extensive network of railways and highways.
The initiative, which was unveiled last year, would turn Iraq into a pivotal transportation hub, enhancing the country's economic resurgence and boosting cooperation with its neighbors.
"We will talk about the stage we are at and how we can move faster from now on," Turkish Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Abdülkadir Uraloğlu told HaberTürk television in an interview. "There are many issues on the table, from the project's financing to its construction and management model."
‘Project to facilitate uninterrupted transportation to all countries in Europe’
Noting that the project would enable 15 days of savings in terms of the transportation of goods to Europe through Türkiye and Iraq, Uraloğlu said they discussed steps to be taken toward obtaining concrete results from their cooperation.
"With the Development Road Project, we will facilitate uninterrupted transportation from the Grand Faw Port in Iraq to London; to all countries in Europe via railroad and roads," the minister said, adding that it would shorten the travel time between Asia and Europe through Türkiye.
Uraloğlu also pointed to the fact that global crises, like the COVID-19 pandemic, changed the logistics map of the global supply chain. Other crises, such as the security issues that arose in the Red Sea region in the aftermath of Israel’s attacks on Gaza, which impacted the navigation of commercial vessel in the Suez Canal, also impacted the routes, forcing vessels to use longer routes.
Thursday’s meeting comes during efforts by Iraq and Türkiye to improve ties that have been strained by a series of issues, including the presence of PKK terrorists in northern Iraq and Turkish military operations against the terrorists on Iraqi territory.
In April, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made his first official visit to Baghdad in over a decade, seeking cooperation from Iraq in the battle against the PKK terrorist group. The group is labeled a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.
Erdoğan’s visit resulted in the signing of numerous agreements in the areas of energy, trade and water sharing.
It was initially named the Dry Canal but was renamed the Development Road project during a meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed S. Al Sudani last year. It is considered the foundation of a non-oil sustainable economy.
Last month, the Iraqi government announced an official ban on the PKK, which has maintained bases in northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)-ruled region. Ankara has argued that PKK’s presence in Iraq threatens the planned construction of the Iraq Development Road.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has said the centerpiece of the project will be the development of the Grand Faw Port and a "smart industrial city" adjacent to it.