The Iraq Development Road is an undergoing project aming to connect Asia with Europe by establishing a network with railways, roads, ports and cities. The project will link the Grand Faw Port in southern Iraq to Turkey's border and further extending into Europe.[1] [2]
The project is expected to turn the country into a transit center by shortening the travel time between Asia and Europe in an attempt to compete with Egypt's Suez Canal. The project is expected to strengthen Iraq's geopolitical position in the region and the world, in addition, the project will support security and stability in the region. [3] [4] [5]
The Development Road gained attention first during a visit to Iraq by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the G20 Summit in New Delhi. Sometimes dubbed as the "Iraqi Silk Road", the project was discussed as an alternative route to the Suez Canal, being created to ease faster and more efficient trade between Asia and Europe.[6]
In May 2023, Baghdad hosted a summit which brought together transport ministers and officials from the European Union, the World Bank, GCC, Iran, Turkey, Syria and Jordan to discuss the establishment of the Development Road initiative. During the summit, Iraqi officials noted that "Iraq has recovered and retrieved its pivotal political role in the region, becoming a political convergence point, the time has come for the country to retrieve its economic role".[7]
In April 2024, and during a visit to Baghdad by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, quadrilateral memorandum of understanding regarding cooperation in Development Road project signed between Iraq, Turkey, Qatar, UAE. The deal was signed by the transportation ministers from each country. The 1,200-kilometer project with railway and highways which will connect the Great Faw Port, aimed to be the largest port in the Middle East. It is planned to be completed by 2025 to the Turkish border at an expected cost of $17 billion.[8] [9]
Observers and decision-makers note that the project is planned to be completed in three stages by 2028, 2033 and 2050 and will open Iraq to the world through Turkey, and will generate $4 billion annually and create at least 100,000 jobs.[10] [11] [12]