Iraq announces a land link project with the Gulf states and Turkey
Iraq announces a land link project with the Gulf states and Turkey
5-28-2023
Iraq announced – during a conference that brought together officials from neighboring countries in the capital Saturday – a land and railway project connecting the Gulf to the Turkish border, through which it aspires to turn into a main line for transporting goods between the Middle East and Europe.
The project – whose cost has been set by the Iraqi government at about $17 billion and a length of 1,200 km inside Iraq – is still in its early stages.
Baghdad aspires to implement this project in cooperation with countries in the region, namely Qatar, the Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan, Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia, whose representatives from the ministries of transport were invited on Saturday to Baghdad to participate in the conference dedicated to announcing the project.
In a speech during the opening of the conference, Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia’a al-Sudani said, “We see in this sustainable project a pillar of a sustainable non-oil economy and a link that serves Iraq’s neighbors and the region, and a contribution to economic integration efforts.”
According to a statement by the Transport and Economy Committee of the House of Representatives – reported by the Iraqi News Agency – the project will be “an investment for the participating countries, and each country can complete part of the project.”
The statement indicated that “it is hoped that the project will be completed and completed within 3-5 years,” adding, “The investment mechanism will be discussed after the conference is held with the participating countries.”
Oil-rich Iraq suffers from deterioration in its infrastructure and roads as a result of decades of wars and widespread corruption.
The Iraqi Prime Minister confirms that one of his government’s priorities is to rehabilitate the transport and road infrastructure, as well as the dilapidated electricity sector.
This project, which was called the “road of development,” allows Iraq to take advantage of its geographical location and turn it into a transit point for goods and trade between the Gulf and Europe.
Work is currently underway to rehabilitate the port of Faw, in the far south of Iraq, adjacent to the Gulf states, which will be a main station for receiving goods before transporting them by land.
The project also aims to build 15 train stations for goods and passengers along the line, starting from Basra in the south, passing through Baghdad, and reaching the border with Turkey.
Today, the Iraqi Minister of Transport, Abd al-Razzaq Muhaibis, confirmed that the government intends to operate the first phase of the port of Faw project at the end of 2025.
He pointed out that “the achievement rates achieved in the port of Faw amounted to more than 50% in its first phase.”
For his part, Farhan Al-Fartousi, Director General of the General Company for Iraqi Ports, told Reuters, “Do not imagine that the development road is only for the passage of goods or travelers, no. It will be an opening for the doors of development in large areas in Iraq.
The Iraqi government envisages high-speed trains transporting goods and passengers at speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour, in addition to extending lines to local industrial and energy centers that could include oil and gas pipelines.
Al-Fatousi said that the Faw Grand Port project, which was planned for more than a decade, is halfway to completion. He added that if work begins early next year, the project will be completed in 2029.
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