Coordination committee to be set up for Development Road Project

The transport ministers of Iraq, Türkiye, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to establish a coordination committee to jointly manage the Development Road Project and have reached an agreement on a memorandum declaration, an official said.

The ministers met in Baghdad on Oct. 31.

Iraq's Transport Minister Razzaq Muhaybis al-Saadawi said the parties agreed on working to ensure joint cooperation among the participating countries and activating the necessary joint cooperation for the implementation of all activities related to the project.

He said the declaration is meant to encourage the participating countries to share information and experiences to support the achievement of the project's objectives, collaborate with relevant international institutions and organizations to create effective and anticipated cooperation opportunities and work together to explore ways to connect with the project regarding the transport of goods and passengers.

The parties also agreed to focus on making the Development Road an attractive international corridor for land transportation.

On April 22, under the auspices of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, a four-party memorandum of understanding was signed in Iraq for cooperation on the project between Baghdad, Ankara, Doha, and Abu Dhabi.

The Development Road is an important trade route project linking Iraq and Türkiye with railways, roads, ports, and cities. That 745-kilometer(1,200-miles) railway and highways will connect the Great Faw Port, aimed to be the largest port in the Middle East.