Hommam Al Nassim 
The Iraqi capital Baghdad witnessed the signing of a four-way memorandum of understanding between Iraq, Turkey, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates on the “development path”
The memorandum was signed in the presence of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the memorandum was signed on the Iraqi side by the Minister of Transport, Razak Muhaibis, and on the Turkish side by the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdul Qadir Uraloglu.
The MoU was signed on behalf of the Qatari side by the Minister of Transport, Jassim bin Saif Al-Sulaiti, and from the UAE, the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Suhail Mohammed Al Mazrouei.
The development route project, also known as the “dry canal”, seeks to create a strategic trade corridor linking the large port of Faw in Basra with the Turkish border, providing a channel for the transport of goods between Asian and European markets.
The project extends over a distance of 1,200 kilometers inside Iraqi territory and includes the construction of road and railways.
The project is estimated at an investment budget of $17 billion, expected to be completed in three phases, the first of which will be completed in 2028, the second in 2033, and the third in 2050. In its first phase, the project is expected to create 100,000 jobs and 1 million jobs after completion.
In a related context, the Iraqi Prime Minister announced during a joint press conference with the Turkish President the signing of a strategic framework agreement between Iraq and Turkey that includes cooperation in the fields of security, energy, and economy.
These agreements come within the framework of a rare visit by the Turkish president to Iraq, with the aim of strengthening relations and signing a set of bilateral agreements.
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