Quadrilateral coordination committee holds second meeting on Development Road Project
According to a statement released on Saturday by the Iraqi Ministry of Transportation, the meeting was held at the headquarters of the General Company for Iraqi Railways, part of the Ministry of Transport.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The second meeting of the quadrilateral coordination committee comprising Iraq, Turkey, UAE, and Qatar to support and implement the "Development Road Project" took place in Baghdad.
According to a statement released on Saturday by the Iraqi Ministry of Transportation, the meeting was held at the headquarters of the General Company for Iraqi Railways, part of the Ministry of Transport.
While representatives from Qatar and the UAE participated via video conference, preparations are underway for the next meeting of the relevant ministers of the four countries, scheduled to be held in Ankara.
During the meeting, it was emphasized that all participating countries should be in constant communication to implement the phases of the project effectively.
Farhan Muhssin al-Fartousi, head of the General Company for Ports of Iraq, announced that four projects to expand the al-Faw Grand Port will be completed by the last quarter of 2025. Additionally, the fifth project, related to the harbor footways, will be announced this year.
The Development Road Project, launched on May 27, 2022, in Baghdad, encompasses land, rail, and sea ports.
For Iraq, this project aims to transform the country into a transportation hub, extending 1,900 kilometers from the al-Faw Grand Port to the Ovaköy border crossing on the Turkish-Kurdistan Region border. The project passes through 11 Iraqi provinces and the Kurdistan Region.
Participants in the project include Iraq, Turkey, the UAE, and Qatar. According to Iraqi government estimates, the project will cost approximately $17 billion and is scheduled for completion by 2050.
On May 23, 2024, the Kurdistan Region’s Minister of Transportation and Communication, Ano Jawhar, and the Director General of Iraqi Railways, Youssef al-Kaabi, confirmed that the Development Road Project will traverse the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.
Read More: Development Road Project to pass through Kurdistan Region
On May 12, 2024, during a symposium on drought and the impacts of climate change on Iraq's political, economic, and demographic situation, Prime Minister Barzani proposed that the development route should pass through the eastern Tigris.
Read More: KRG, Iraqi Railways sign MOU for Development Road Project with Italian firm
This route is considered less costly and more economically beneficial compared to the route proposed by Baghdad, which passes through the western Tigris, an area with lower population density.
The Development Road is an international railway and highway that will start at the port of al-Faw in southern Iraq.
