The proposals for a $17 billion regional transportation project to ease the movement of commodities from Asia to Europe were unveiled by the prime minister of Iraq on Saturday.
Transport ministers and representatives from Iraq, the Gulf States, Turkey, Iran, Syria, and Jordan met for a day in Baghdad to make the announcement.
According to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, the proposed Development Road project would make it easier to transport goods from the Gulf to Europe via Basra’s Grand Faw Port, which would be linked to Turkey and then to Europe via a network of highways and railways.
The building of the Grand Faw Port and a nearby “smart industrial city” will be the focal point of the project, according to al-Sudani.
Al-Sudani referred to the proposed project, which would entail building about 1,200 km (745 miles) of highways and railways, as “an economic lifeline and a promising opportunity for the convergence of interests, history, and cultures,” and added that it would “make our countries a source for modern industries and goods.”
He made no mention of the project’s funding but stated that Iraq will “rely heavily on cooperation… with brotherly and friendly nations.”
To forward the project, the nations taking part in the conference on Saturday decided to form joint technical committees.
Iraq’s ties to the Gulf nations have suffered in recent years as Iran-backed militias became more powerful there following the U.S.-led invasion that deposed Saddam Hussein and created a power vacuum in the nation.
However, there are indications that the nation’s relations with its neighbors are getting better. The eight-nation Arabian Gulf Cup, the first international soccer competition Iraq had hosted in more than 40 years, took place in January in Basra.
