Al-Sudani: We hope Iraq will be a gateway for 20% of Asian trade to Europe.
Al-Sudani: We hope Iraq will be a gateway for 20% of Asian trade to Europe.
2025-09-20 02:50
Shafaq News – Baghdad
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced on Saturday that Iraq aspires to become a gateway for 20 percent of trade from Asia to Europe via the vital development road project.
“We look forward to an Iraq that is largely free of oil revenues in the coming decades, with a diversified and stable economy, sustainable agriculture, and a leading manufacturing industry. We also hope that Iraq will be a gateway for 20 percent of trade from Asia to Europe through the FAO project and the Development Road,” Al-Sudani said in a speech he delivered during the launch ceremony of Iraq’s Vision 2050. He added that the Development Road project “provides one and a half million knowledge-based and entrepreneurial jobs for our youth.”
He stressed that Iraq also aspires to “achieve 70 percent food, water, and energy self-sufficiency through sustainable green initiatives.”
He added, “This vision is shared by everyone: the state and its institutions, the private sector, universities, civil society, and youth. It is a message to the world that Iraq has decided to rise up, to restore its historical role, and to be a productive and effective force leading toward peace, stability, and prosperity.”
In April 2024, Iraq, Turkey, the UAE, and Qatar signed a quadripartite agreement on the Iraq Development Road Project, under the auspices of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The agreement aims to enhance cooperation regarding Iraq’s strategic development project, as the four countries will work to establish the necessary frameworks for its implementation, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.
The strategic development road project is expected to contribute to stimulating economic growth and strengthening regional and international cooperation, achieving economic integration and sustainability between East and West.
The project will also increase international trade, facilitate the movement of goods, provide a new competitive transportation route, and enhance regional economic prosperity.
It’s worth noting that the “Development Road” project is a land and railway route extending from Iraq to Turkey and its ports. The road and railway span 1,200 kilometers within Iraq and are primarily intended to transport goods between Europe and the Gulf states.
The project’s investment budget is approximately $17 billion, including $6.5 billion for the expressway and $10.5 billion for the electric train. It will be completed in three phases, the first of which will end in 2028, the second in 2033, and the third in 2050.
The project is expected to provide approximately 100,000 job opportunities in the first phase, and more than one million job opportunities after its completion.
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