UAE to participate in Iraq’s Development Road
The flag of the UAE. Photo: WAM
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Emirati Minister of State, Khalifa Shaheen, expressed the UAE’s serious desire to participate in the Development Road project that Baghdad is working to extend from the Al-Faw Port in southern Iraq to the northern borders with Turkey.
During his meeting with the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, Shaheen confirmed his country’s support for development and investment projects in Iraq due to their importance to the countries of the region, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
Al-Sudani stated that the Iraqi government is interested in economic integration with the UAE, stressing that Iraq encourages UAE companies and businessmen to work in Iraq.
Al-Sudani clarified that the Iraqi government is eager to develop relations with the UAE in economic, investment, and development fields.
The $17 billion project will connect an important port on the southern Iraqi coast to the border with Turkey by extending a railway and road network.
The Development Road will turn Iraq into a transit center as it will shorten the travel time between Asia and Europe.
The Iraqi government aims to transport goods and passengers using high-speed trains and to extend lines, including oil and gas pipelines, to local industrial complexes and energy centers.
The project will extend 1,200 kilometers from Al-Faw port town in southern Iraq to Faysh Khabur town in the northern Iraqi governorate of Duhok.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have each allocated $6 billion to support their commercial and investment activities inside Iraq, which is trying to take advantage of its geographical location to keep up with global trade.