Transport Ministry to hold conference on ‘Development Route’
The construction work in the Al-Faw Grand Port. Photo: Iraqi News Agency
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Ministry of Transport announced on Wednesday it is preparing for the Development Route Conference scheduled on Saturday, the state news agency (INA) reported.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Transport mentioned which countries will participate in the conference.
The countries the Iraqi Ministry of Transport invited to attend the conference are Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Oman, and Iran.
All of these countries confirmed their desire to attend and participate in the activities of the conference, according to the statement.
The conference will be held in Baghdad on Saturday, May 27, and will last for one day only, the statement indicated.
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 southern Iraq with the Turkish territories through railway networks and roads.
It will extend for 1,200 kilometers from Al-Faw port town in southern Iraq to Faysh Khabur town in the northern Iraqi governorate of Duhok, INA mentioned.
The Development Route includes a railway where electric trains will pass through 10 Iraqi governorates.
In a joint press conference held in March with the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani stated that the ‘Development Route’ represents a global corridor to transport goods and energy.
The 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 be increased to 7.5 million tons in the second phase.
Al-Sudani elaborated that the project 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 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.