“Development Road” opens the way for a new energy agreement between Iraq and Turkey.
“Development Road” opens the way for a new energy agreement between Iraq and Turkey.
2025-08-01 03:35
Shafaq News – Follow-up
Researchers and experts confirmed on Friday that the “Development Road” project between Iraq and Turkey is no longer just a strategic corridor for transporting goods. Rather, it has become a gateway to a comprehensive energy agreement between the two countries, one that could redraw the map of regional economic cooperation.
Turkish researcher Sercan Caliskan, who specializes in Iraqi affairs, explained, as reported by Anadolu Agency and followed by Shafaq News Agency, that “relations between Ankara and Baghdad have witnessed a strategic development in the energy sector,” noting that “this path is directly linked to the ‘Development Road’ project, which extends 1,200 kilometers within Iraqi territory and aims to connect the Arabian Gulf to Europe via Turkish territory.”
“The project is not limited to transportation and infrastructure, but opens new horizons for regional cooperation, especially in the energy sector,” explained Çalışkan, a researcher at the Turkish Center for Middle Eastern Studies.
He continued: “The development path represents an opportunity to establish a long-term partnership that prevents legal disputes and builds the foundations for comprehensive cooperation on the oil and energy front.”
For his part, Yasser Al-Maliki, an expert on Arabian Gulf affairs at the Middle East Economic Survey ( MEES) , said that “the project falls within Ankara and Baghdad’s plans to enhance their economic cooperation,” stressing that “the Iraq-Turkey oil pipeline could be used in the future to transport crude oil from other countries, strengthening Turkey’s position as a regional hub for energy transit between Asia and Europe.”
Al-Maliki pointed out that “re-exporting Kirkuk oil to Mediterranean refineries via Türkiye would be of great importance to Baghdad, as it seeks to increase revenues and reduce supply-related crises.”
Turkish sources had previously revealed that negotiations had begun between Ankara and Baghdad to reach a new, more comprehensive oil transport agreement. A Turkish presidential decree was published in the Official Gazette on July 21, indicating that the current agreement signed between the two countries in 1973 would expire on July 27, 2026.
shafaq.com
