Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Falih al-Zeidi visited the National Investment Authority in the capital Baghdad, where he reviewed plans and implementation mechanisms for investment projects in various sectors and provinces.
During the visit, Zeydi called for special attention to the Development Road Project. The prime minister said that establishing industrial cities connected to the project route would create an integrated economic environment.
Development Road route
The Development Road, which is intended to connect Türkiye with Iraq and the Gulf countries, is described as one of the shortest transport routes between the Gulf states and Europe. The project includes highway and railway lines extending from Iraq to Türkiye and to ports in Türkiye.
The section of the project within Iraq is given as 1,200 kilometers long. The Development Road is intended to facilitate freight transport between Europe and the Gulf countries.
Call to accelerate investments
Zeydi said that Iraq was open to investment and aimed to establish long-term partnerships with investors. He said the country had significant investment opportunities in various sectors, adding that time should be used effectively and procedures accelerated to turn these opportunities into real projects.
The Iraqi prime minister also instructed officials to work according to the principle of division in implementation so that projects could be completed more quickly. The industrial cities linked to the Development Road are intended to create an integrated economic structure around the project.
Four-way cooperation mechanism
The governments of Iraq, Türkiye, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates signed a four-way memorandum of understanding in April 2024 to cooperate on the Development Road Project. The parties also established a joint ministerial mechanism to monitor the project’s implementation.
Visit to Türkiye and the “third river” comparison
After taking office in May 2026, Zeydi visited Türkiye for the first time on July 28. During the visit, Ankara and Baghdad announced that they would begin implementing the Development Road.
At a joint press conference with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Zeydi described the project as a “third economic river” for the two countries. Referring to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, Zeydi said they aimed to make the two countries a meeting point between East and West.
