Shafaq News/ Iraq's Prime Minister, Mohammad Shia al-Sudani, on Saturday morning laid the foundation stone for a railway project at the Shalamcheh border crossing in the southern governorate of Basra.

Mohammad Mokhber, Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, was present for the event.

Mokhber, in a speech he delivered, said the completion of this project would significantly boost trade exchanges between Iran and Iraq, stressing that it would connect the two countries' railways, aligning with international transport routes.

Mokhber said that with continuous collaboration between the two nations, this crucial route would be completed in the next two years.

"This follows a consistent two-year effort in line with the policy to strengthen neighborhood ties," he said, hoping that this initiative would bring prosperity to both Iran and Iraq and the entire region.

Describing the connection of the Iranian railways to Iraq and their extension to the Mediterranean Sea as a long-awaited "happy event," Mokhber remarked, "We'll witness a significant surge in trade exchanges upon the railway project's completion."

"This railway should particularly simplify travel between Iran and Iraq," said Mokhber.

The Iranian officer said that approximately 1.4 kilometers of the track was constructed following the clearance of 1,600 landmines, extending up to the border. Mokhber stated that Iran took responsibility for demining a 16-kilometer stretch, while the demining task for the subsequent 16 to 18 kilometers falls under Iraq's jurisdiction.