ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq is only months away from entering the practical implementation phase of the Development Road Project, a major infrastructure initiative designed to connect the Gulf region with Europe, following government approval, a senior official said on Monday.
Farhan al-Fartousi, head of the state-owned General Company for Ports of Iraq (GCPI), which operates under Baghdad’s transport ministry, said “preparations for both the Development Road Project and the Grand al-Faw Port have advanced significantly, with key operational plans already submitted to the government.”
He stated that, following government approval in the coming months, the initiative will move into the implementation phase, adding that “Iraq will become the meeting point for Asia and Europe.”
The Development Road Project is a $17 billion infrastructure initiative aimed at transforming Iraq into a major transit corridor. The route will extend approximately 1,200 kilometers from the Grand al-Faw Port in Iraq’s southern Basra province to the Fishkhabur border crossing with Turkey.
Fartousi said that around 93 percent of the project's final design work has been completed and that “the operational blueprint for the Grand al-Faw Port has also been submitted to the new government and is expected to be discussed with Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi in the coming days.”
Located south of Umm Qasr, Iraq’s main seaport, the Grand al-Faw Port is being designed with deeper berths than Umm Qasr, allowing it to accommodate large container ships.
Iraq officially launched the Development Road Project in May 2023 and in April 2024, Baghdad signed agreements with Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Qatar to cooperate on the project's security, economic, and development dimensions.
According to Fartousi, Iraq’s predominantly flat terrain gives the project a competitive advantage by reducing transportation times and fuel costs compared with alternative regional routes that traverse mountainous areas.
“Global trade seeks the shortest, cheapest, and most efficient route. The Development Road Project, which connects al-Faw to Turkey, has no competitor in this regard,” he said.
The project includes high-speed rail and highway networks designed to reduce cargo transit times between East Asia and Europe. Iraqi officials say the first transport links are expected to become operational in 2028, while additional industrial and logistics components are planned through 2050.