Iraq intends to sign agreements with Türkiye regarding a multibillion-dollar regional transportation project aimed at facilitating the flow of goods from Asia to Europe, a senior official said Monday.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani announced the $17 billion (TL 451.4 billion) Development Road project in late May in a move designed to transform the country’s economy after decades of war and crisis.
Once completed, the project will facilitate the movement of goods from the Gulf to Europe through the Grand Faw Port in Basra, in oil-rich southern Iraq, which would be connected to Türkiye, then to Europe, through a network of railways and highways.
Nasir al-Esedi, Al Sudani’s advisor for transportation, said Monday that Iraq would sign deals on the project with Türkiye soon.
"These deals will cover road and railway projects extending the Gulf to the Turkish border," al-Esedi told the state-owned Es-Sabah newspaper.
He underscored the pivotal role of these networks in facilitating the movement of goods between the Middle East and Europe, emphasizing that the envisioned road and rail systems will be fundamental routes for cross-regional trade.
The project holds special importance for Türkiye as well, said al-Esedi.
The collaboration would resonate with Türkiye’s strategic efforts to strengthen its trade networks and establish a vital connection between Europe and Asia.
"The Route of Development will boost interdependence between the countries of the region," Türkiye’s Ambassador to Baghdad Ali Riza Güney said in May.
Al Sudani did not say how the project would be financed but noted that Iraq would "rely heavily on cooperation ... with brotherly and friendly nations."
The planned project will involve the construction of about 1,200 kilometers (about 745 miles) of railways and highways, turning the country into a transit hub by shortening travel time between Asia and Europe in a bid to rival the Suez Canal.
The project includes around 15 train stations along the route, including in the major cities of Basra, Baghdad and Mosul, and up to the Turkish border.
Iraq’s government envisions high-speed trains moving goods and passengers at up to 300 kph (186 mph), links to local industry hubs and an energy component that could include oil and gas pipelines.
It would mark a significant departure from the country’s existing aged transport network.
Iraq’s train service currently operates a handful of lines, including slow oil freight and a single overnight passenger train that trundles from Baghdad to Basra, taking 10 to 12 hours to cover 500 kilometers.
Passenger transport between Iraq and Europe harkens back to grand plans at the turn of the 20th century to create a Baghdad to Berlin Express.