Iraq wants to fit into global trade routes between China and Europe through the “Development Road” project

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Chia al-Soudani officially presented the "Development Road" project (previously commonly known as the "Dry Canal") during a conference organized on May 27 in the presence of the Iraqi Minister of Transport and his counterparts or representatives of neighboring countries (Saudi Arabia, Iran, Jordan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – Egypt was not represented), but also the Ambassador of the European Union in Iraq and the representative of the World Bank.

Iraq aims to link the future port of al-Fao, whose construction in progress by the South Korean company Daewoo should be completed in 2025, to Turkey by a corridor of new highways and railway lines, a length of 1200 km.

In a second phase, these routes could be linked to neighboring countries (Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Jordan), see their multimodal dimension strengthened (al-Fao airport project and links between the corridor and existing airports, in particular that of Baghdad) and include new urban centers as well as industrial towns.

The project, costing 17 billion USD and supposed to be spread over five years, should allow, according to the Iraqi authorities, to insert Iraq into world trade routes (between China and Europe in particular), to develop regional trade and to ensure the diversification of the Iraqi economy. A feasibility study carried out by the Italian company PEG has already been finalized.

Source Embassy of France in Lebanon