The development path enters the actual implementation phase.
The development path enters the actual implementation phase.
2026/09/03
Moving beyond the planning stage, after years of delays, Iraqi-Turkish efforts have shifted to practical implementation. Lieutenant General Omar Adnan Al-Waeli, head of the Border Ports Authority, announced the activation of the bilateral agreement concerning the development corridor and the commencement of steps to establish the Fishkhabur-Ovakoy border crossing. The Border Ports Authority explained that Lieutenant General Al-Waeli led an official delegation, including the Director General of Land Transport and the Director General of Railways at the Ministry of Transport, during extensive meetings held in the Turkish capital, Ankara.
The talks covered transportation, border connectivity and transit issues, as well as holding bilateral meetings at the headquarters of the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure with the participation of representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense and the Turkish Presidency.
These meetings focused on translating the memorandum of understanding signed on (July 28, 2026) in the presence of Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi into executive steps, based on the maps and routes identified by the joint technical committees.
The authority confirmed that the activation of the Fishkhabur-Ovakoy border crossing is based on the provisions of the memorandum, which stipulated coordination to open the new border crossing to increase the capacity of rail and road transport, develop its infrastructure, and accelerate the pace of work through a joint committee of experts. This aims to compensate for previous years of delays and transform the crossing into a vital artery that revitalizes the Iraqi economy and connects southern ports to European markets. In a related development concerning the engineering and technical efforts of the project, the Ministry of Transport announced the entry into a new phase of implementing the development road project by activating the provisions of the framework memorandum signed with the Turkish side. This coincides with the continuation of joint meetings to finalize the implementation steps in preparation for concluding the final agreements and contracts.
The Ministry’s Director of Media and Government Communication, Hussein Ahmed, told Al-Sabah: “The Ministry is participating in a series of meetings with the Turkish side through the Joint Ministerial Committee to discuss understandings aimed at concluding an executive agreement between the two countries.”
Ahmed added that the completion rates in the basic plans reached about (90) percent for the railway plans and (95) percent for the road, while work continues on preparing the detailed designs for the project by the Italian company.
alsabaah.iq
