During a visit to the National Investment Authority in Baghdad, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Falih al-Zeidi reviewed investment projects across the country’s provinces and sectors and called for strengthening the economic dimension of the Development Road Project.
Zeidi called for special attention to the establishment of industrial cities linked to the project route. He said these cities would create an integrated economic structure around the Development Road and called for implementation processes to be accelerated so that investments could be turned into concrete projects.
The route connecting Iraq with Türkiye and the Gulf
The Development Road Project covers planned road and railway lines extending from Iraq to Türkiye and its ports. The project is intended to connect Türkiye, Iraq and the Gulf countries with Europe and is described as one of the shortest transport routes between the Gulf countries and Europe.
The section of the project inside Iraq is 1,200 kilometers long. The Development Road is intended to facilitate freight transport between Europe and the Gulf countries.
Baghdad’s investment plan
Zeidi said Iraq was open to investment and aimed to establish long-term partnerships with investors, adding that opportunities in various sectors needed to be turned into actual projects. The Iraqi prime minister called for time to be used efficiently and procedures to be expedited.
Zeidi also instructed officials to work according to the principle of segmentation during implementation so that projects could be completed more quickly. The aim is to create a complementary economic environment around the project through industrial cities linked to the Development Road.
Agreement among four countries
The governments of Iraq, Türkiye, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates signed a quadrilateral memorandum of understanding in April 2024 to cooperate on the Development Road Project. The parties established a joint ministerial mechanism to monitor the project’s implementation.
Emphasis on an economic river during Türkiye visit
Zeidi visited Türkiye for the first time on July 28 after taking office in May 2026. During the visit, he announced that Ankara and Baghdad would begin implementing the Development Road.
At a joint news conference with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Zeidi described the project as a “third economic river” for the two countries, referring to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. He said Türkiye and Iraq aimed to become a meeting point between East and West.
