22-07-2025
Iraq says Development Road complements China's BRI
Iraq's Ministry of Planning said the country's Development Road project is consistent and complements China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
The plan is to connect the Iran-Iraq railway to the GCC nations, Eastern countries, and Europe, a ministry spokesman, Abdul Zahra Al-Hindawi, told the Iraqi News Agency.
In April last year, Iraq, Turkey, Qatar and the UAE signed an agreement to cooperate on the $17 billion Development Road. The project may also include oil and gas pipelines in the future.
Launched in 2013, the BRI aims to link the East and West through key corridors and axes via land and maritime routes.
'Iraq is one of the key axes, considering that there is a railway linking China to Uzbekistan, then Pakistan, and Iran,' Al-Hindawi said.
He stated Iraq's strategic location makes it an important logistics and transport hub for Asia, the Levant, and Western markets, adding that the country offers significant reductions in both travel time and shipping costs.
(Writing by P Deol; Editing by Anoop Menon)
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