Shafaq News/ On Thursday, Iraqi Transport Minister Razzaq Muhibis Al-Saadawi announced “significant progress” on the Development Road project during a meeting held in Istanbul.
The meeting, hosted at Dolmabahce Palace, marked the first session of the Quadrilateral Ministerial Committee, which includes representatives from Iraq, Turkiye, Qatar, and the UAE.
In a statement, Al-Saadawi expressed appreciation to the Turkish Ministry of Transport for facilitating the meeting. “We thank the Turkish Ministry of Transport for hosting the first quadrilateral ministerial meeting on the Development Road project,” he said. The project, a key initiative under a memorandum of understanding signed during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Baghdad in April, involves collaborative efforts to enhance infrastructure and economic integration among the participating nations.
“We discussed how to distribute responsibilities and organize the project effectively,” Al-Saadawi noted. A key outcome was the establishment of a coordinating body with three operational levels: ministerial (involving the four transport ministers), coordinating (general managers), and executive (experts and technicians).
Al-Saadawi added, “The next meeting will be held in Baghdad in two months, and we are making substantial progress on the Development Road project.” He emphasized that the project’s goal is to achieve a strong economy and diversify income sources, benefiting Iraq, the region, and the world.
“The first phase of the project is set to begin by mid-2025, once we finalize the detailed designs,” The Iraqi minister also pointed out. Current progress includes 100% completion of the railway route design and 75% of the highway design. Soil investigation and topographic surveying are also complete.
In turn, Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu highlighted the project’s significance, stating, “The Development Road will connect the Grand Faw Port in Basra, Iraq, to London by road and rail.”
“This road will shorten the distance and contribute significantly to the economic development of the participating nations,” he added.
The project, estimated at $20 billion, includes a 1,200-kilometer road and railway network, designed to facilitate goods transport between Europe and the Gulf countries.
The project's investment budget stands at approximately $17 billion, with $6.5 billion allocated for the highway and $10.5 billion for the electrified railway. It will be implemented in three phases, with the first phase expected to be completed by 2028, the second by 2033, and the final phase by 2050. The project is anticipated to create 100,000 jobs initially, with a total of one million jobs upon completion.