Iraq's Development Road to link Gulf with Europe
Iraq's planned Development Road aims to connect Gulf countries to Europe through an extensive rail corridor, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz has said.
In an interview with Qatar's Al Sharq newspaper, Yılmaz said the initiative envisions the movement of more goods from India, South Asia, and the Gulf region to Iraq's southern al-Faw port, then northward through Turkey and onward to Europe.
The project may also include oil and gas pipelines in the future, he said, adding that approximately 1,200 kilometres of highways and railways are planned to stretch from Al-Faw to the Turkish border.
Yılmaz noted that the project, which also includes a parallel motorway, will create a land and rail bridge linking Asia and Europe.
Iraq's Shafaq News agency said that construction has not yet begun but the project is expected to be completed in 2030, with an estimated total cost of $20 billion.
"The initial design has been completed, and the feasibility study is largely finished," Yılmaz said. "We have shared our feedback on the feasibility report with the Iraqi side, and we are now awaiting clarity from Iraq on execution and financing.
In April last year, Iraq, Turkey, Qatar and UAE signed an agreement to cooperate on the $17 billion mega project.
(Writing by Nadim Kawach; Editing by Anoop Menon)
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