The Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported that the MoU ceremony took place in Baghdad. Iraq’s Prime Minister Muhammed Shia Al-Sudani and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended.
Iraq’s Minister of Transport, Razzaq Muhibis, and Turkey’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Adil Karaismailoğlu, attended the signing ceremony. Qatar’s Minister of Transport, Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti and the UAE’s Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, were also present to endorse the agreement.
Valued at €14.79 billion, the Development Road project aims to establish a comprehensive land and rail route spanning Iraq to Turkey and its key ports. Qatar’s Ministry of Transport specified that a substantial 1,200 kilometres of this infrastructure will be within Iraqi borders.
The project will unfold in three distinct phases, each with its own set of milestones and deadlines scheduled for 2028, 2033, and 2050.
Upon completion, the Development Road initiative will facilitate an efficient overland route connecting Europe with the Gulf Cooperation Countries, promising enhanced economic ties and logistical efficiency across the participating nations.