Iraq to host conference on ‘Development Route’ with Turkey
The construction work in the Al-Faw Grand Port. Photo: Iraqi News Agency
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Ministry of Transport sent official invitations on Tuesday to ambassadors and representatives of diplomatic missions of Iraq’s neighboring countries and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to attend a conference on the ‘Development Route’ that will be held in Iraq at the end of May.
The Transport Ministry mentioned in a statement that the Iraqi Minister of Transport, Razzaq Muhaibis, sent official invitations to transport ministers of Arab and Gulf countries to attend the conference.
“Iraq is keen to strengthen relations with neighboring countries and the region to establish economic partnerships that serve people of the region,” Muhaibis said.
Muhaibis stressed that the Iraqi government continues to build the ‘Development Route’ project that will link the East with the West.
The statement did not mention the exact date of the conference, elaborating only that it would be held under the auspices of the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammad Shia Al-Sudani.
The ‘Development Route’ is the name given by the Iraqi government to what was known as the dry canal that connects the Al-Faw Grand Port in the southern Iraqi governorate of Basra with the Turkish territories through railway networks and roads.
In a joint press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in March, Al-Sudani stated that the ‘Development Route’ represents a global corridor to transport goods and energy.
The Iraqi Prime Minister illustrated that the project includes a railway to transport goods, with a capacity of 3.5 million tons in its first phase, and will reach a capacity of 7.5 million tons in the second phase.
Al-Sudani elaborated that the ‘Development Route’ will also include a highway for land transport and pipelines to transport energy, in addition to the Al-Faw Grand Port, and the industrial city that is expected to be one of the largest cities in the Middle East.
The Iraqi Premier added that the project will generate many job opportunities for Iraq and the countries of the region, as well as opportunities for industries and businessmen, and it will be a center attracting global trade.