KRG Transport Minister Visits Baghdad To Discuss Development Road Project
The Development Road is a 1,200-kilometer rail and highway corridor linking Iraq's Grand Faw Port in Basra to the Turkish border at Faysh Khabur, passing through or near the Kurdistan Region, making Duhok's border areas and Ibrahim Khalil crossing the primary gateway connecting the route to Türkiye
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - Kurdistan Region Minister of Transport and Communications Anno Jawhar visited Baghdad on Thursday meeting Iraqi Minister of Construction, Housing, and Municipalities Rrbaz Hamlan to discuss shared issues between the two ministries, with Jawhar confirming the visit was made on the instructions of Prime Minister Masrour Barzani specifically to advocate for the Kurdistan Region's position in the strategic Development Road project.
"We visited Baghdad to congratulate and discuss several shared issues between the two ministries, and on the instructions of Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, we met specifically on the subject of the strategic Development Road project," Jawhar said. He added that meetings with Iraq's Ministry of Transport would also take place to build support for the Kurdistan Regional Government's position on the project, alongside discussions on several other citizen service matters.
What Is The Development Road
The Development Road, known in Iraq as the Project of the Century, is a major economic and transport initiative designed to connect Iraq's Grand Faw Port in Basra to the Turkish border through approximately 1,200 kilometers of high-speed highway and rail corridor, and from there to European territory. The project would significantly reduce the transit time and cost of moving goods between Asia and Europe compared to the existing sea route through the Suez Canal, while generating new cities, logistics hubs, and thousands of jobs along its length.
Kurdistan's Strategic Position
The Development Road's route toward northern Iraq and the Turkish border gives the Kurdistan Region an irreplaceable geographic role in the project. The route passes through or near Kurdistan Region territory, with the border areas of Duhok Governorate and the Ibrahim Khalil crossing serving as the primary gateway connecting the corridor to Türkiye and onward to Europe. This geographic reality means the Kurdistan Region's border crossings become key nodes in what would be one of the most significant overland trade corridors between Asia and Europe.
The economic and commercial benefits for the Kurdistan Region are significant. The corridor would drive growth in the trade sector, increase the exchange of goods, and attract foreign investment to the Region. The Ibrahim Khalil crossing in particular would become a major transit point for the international commercial traffic the project would generate.
The KRG has maintained consistent engagement with the federal government in Baghdad on the Development Road specifically to ensure that the Kurdistan Region's perspective and interests are incorporated into the project design and that the Region becomes a primary and beneficial participant in the strategic corridor rather than being bypassed.