The vast infrastructure and transportation project set to link the Persian Gulf to Europe via Iraq and Türkiye with railways, roadways and ports, could be completed faster than initially expected, and even as soon as 2028, a senior Turkish official said on Saturday.
"We had the opportunity to closely witness the will in Iraq that this work should materialize as soon as possible. We also have the same will,” Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said regarding the "Development Road" project during a visit to Baghdad, after meeting Prime Minister Mohammed S. Al Sudani as well as his Iraqi counterpart Razzaq Muhaibas al-Saadawi.
"We assembled delegations that we have been working with for months," Uraloğlu said of his visit, adding that some of the members of the delegation would continue talks in the capital on Sunday.
Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) could also be involved in the project, he said, echoing earlier remarks by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
Earlier this month, Fidan said intensive negotiations were underway with Iraq, Qatar and the UAE about the project that would be forged "within the next few months."
Stating that there are 1,200 kilometers (746 miles) of scheduled work in Iraqi territory as part of the project, Uraloğlu added that the section within Turkish borders stands at around 1,600-1,700 kilometers.
"We’ve actually done most of the work we need to do,” he explained. "Seeing the excitement here has strengthened our opinion about the feasibility of this job. It is necessary to act quickly in terms of the work that needs to be done.”
"Here I learned that the first phase of Faw Port will be implemented in 2025," he said.
"The railway will be implemented gradually, but we predict that the entire project may be completed in 2028,” the minister added.
According to the written statement by Al Sudani's office, it was stated that the Development Road project is a strategic project that the Iraqi government attaches importance to, and added the project will strengthen existing ties between Iraq and Türkiye.
"The implementation of the Development Road project will strengthen the ties between Iraq, Türkiye and other regional countries. This is the best, shortest and least expensive way to connect the Middle East with Europe," the statement said.
Sudani praised Türkiye's excitement concerning the project and emphasized the importance of continuing technical negotiations between the two countries.
Earlier this month President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the project would pave the way for an opportunity to “build a new world,” highlighting Türkiye's commitment in this regard.
“It is a corridor that will pass through the Persian Gulf and the Gulf countries, through Iraq and go to Europe through Türkiye. Be it the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, they are all very, very determined on this issue,” Erdoğan told the Concordia Annual Summit in New York.
“Most importantly, we are also committed. I have seen this determination in America, I have seen this determination in Germany, Japan. Therefore, with such a step we will take, we will have the opportunity to build a new world.”
The president recently particularly stressed the UAE's interest in the initiative, and said, "United Arab Emirates President (Sheikh) Mohammed Bin Zayed (Al Nahyan) has demonstrated a strong commitment to this project."
"In fact, in our most recent meeting, he proposed that preparations for this project be completed within '60 days' after putting it in writing," Erdoğan told reporters on Monday.
The $17-billion Development Road project aims to tie the Grand Faw Port, a major commodities port in Iraq’s oil-rich south, by rail and roads to the border with Türkiye, turning the country into a transit hub by shortening travel time between Asia and Europe in a bid to rival the Suez Canal.
