ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Erbil’s transport ministry on Thursday denied reaching an agreement with the Iraqi federal government on the Development Road Project that currently bypasses the Kurdistan Region.
“No agreement has been reached with the Iraqi federal government regarding the Development Road Project,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry accused the federal government of making “incorrect” statements that a deal had been reached.
The KRG ministry did not say what federal government statements it was objecting to, though Nasser al-Asadi, the Iraqi prime minister’s transportation advisor, told state media last Saturday that planning for the project is in the final stages.
“The Development Road passes through the Kurdistan Region, as 11 kilometers pass through Duhok province,” he said, adding that “there is significant coordination between the government and the region in this regard.”
The Development Road Project is a large-scale infrastructure plan to connect the Persian Gulf with Turkey by constructing highways and rail links from southern Iraq to the Turkish border. The project is expected to enhance Iraq’s geopolitical position, boost the economy, and create thousands of job opportunities, with the route linking Iraq to the European Union via Turkey. However, it has been a source of friction between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
The KRG has voiced concerns that there are no major highways or railway connections with the Kurdistan Region included in the main corridor. It has warned that centralizing trade routes through federal territories could weaken the Region’s control over cross-border trade and customs excise.
The KRG has requested that Baghdad adjust the route to integrate Kurdistan Region infrastructure, arguing that it would enhance the project’s success.
In February, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani said that the project has Erbil’s “complete support,” despite these concerns.
The KRG’s transport ministry said their last official communication on the project with Baghdad was in May when “a joint protocol was approved and signed unanimously,” agreeing to move forward with cooperation on the project.
The agreement was expected to be presented to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani and Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani “for a final unanimous approval,” the statement said.
However, it added that federal authorities “did not participate in the scheduled field visit to the proposed route,” and that Iraq’s transport minister “abruptly revoked” the process via an official letter signed by Minister Razzaq Saadawi “with no prior clarification or justification.”
The ministry reaffirmed “the unwavering stance of the KRG in supporting national projects that serve the public, chief among them, the Development Road Project.”
It also reiterated its support for a proposed railway and highway route through the Kurdistan Region, describing it as “32 kilometers shorter” than alternative routes passing through Mosul and Duhok.
The proposed route “is shorter, more cost-effective in terms of construction and long-term operation, safer, and benefits various ethnic and religious communities in the Nineveh Plains,” the statement read.