Al-Sudani: We faced major challenges in implementing the “Greater Iraq” project
Al-Sudani: We faced major challenges in implementing the “Greater Iraq” project
2024-11-07 00:39
Shafaq News/ Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani stated on Thursday that his government faced “major challenges” in starting to implement the vital development road project, considering the Grand Faw Port project to transform the historical geographical situation of Iraq.
This came in his speech during the ceremony of receiving the five berths of the Grand Faw Port in Basra Governorate from the Korean company implementing the work.
In his speech, Al-Sudani described the Grand Faw Port project as “Iraq’s most prominent project and the people’s project,” announcing at the same time the receipt of the five docks that represent the backbone of the port project in its first phase.
He added that with the completion of the basic and important phase, the first phase will be completed next year according to the previous timetables. The process of docking of huge commercial ships on the port’s docks has also taken place, so that this project will be included in the contract and paths of global trade and transport routes that pass through the Middle East region, which is of great strategic importance to global trade.
Al-Sudani added, “Through this dream port that has become a reality, Iraq’s historical geographical situation is transformed from a country in need of other people’s ports to a maritime country overlooking the Gulf, which is the most prominent water basin in the world where energy, trade, communication and commercial exchange activities are concentrated in all their forms.”
He stressed that the federal government, which he heads, is committed to completing the Grand Faw Port project as a gateway to Iraq’s largest project, the Development Road, noting that the Development Road project represents the backbone of the government’s vision to maximize non-oil revenues, and today we face major challenges in implementing it.
For his part, Minister of Transport Razzaq Muhaibis Al-Saadawi said in a speech during the same ceremony: “The Faw Port and the development road are the gateway to economic growth in Iraq and the region.”
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 Erdogan.
The agreement aims to enhance cooperation regarding the Iraq Strategic Development Path project, as the four countries will work to establish the necessary frameworks for implementing the project, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.
The strategic project of the development road is expected to contribute to stimulating economic growth and strengthening regional and international cooperation relations, as it will achieve economic integration and sustainability between the East and the 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 is worth noting that the “Development Road” project is a land and railway road extending from Iraq to Turkey and its ports. The length of the road and railway is 1,200 kilometers inside Iraq, and it aims primarily to transport goods between Europe and the Gulf countries.
The project’s investment budget amounts to about 17 billion US dollars, of which 6.5 billion is for the expressway, and 10.5 billion for the electric train. It will be completed in 3 phases, the first ending in 2028, the second in 2033, and the third in 2050.
The project is expected to provide about 100,000 job opportunities in the first phase, and one million job opportunities after its completion.
shafaq.com
