BAGHDAD, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani on Thursday inaugurated the first section of the Development Road, a regional transportation project linking southern Iraq's Al-Faw Grand Port to Türkiye's border and further extending into Europe.
The first section of the 63-km project stretches from the port to an under-construction 2,444-meter immersed tunnel beneath the Khor Al-Zubair Waterway in Basra province, covering a total length of 51 km.
During the inauguration ceremony held in Basra, Al-Sudani described the project as a "dream" vital for turning Iraq into "a major global logistical and commercial hub, facilitating the movement of goods between Asia and Europe," read a statement released by Al-Sudani's media office on Facebook.
The project also "represents a practical embodiment of the government's economic vision to transition Iraq from a rent-based economy to one that actively supports agriculture, industry, and trade," Al-Sudani said.
The Development Road was officially initiated in 2024 after Türkiye, Iraq, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates signed a quadripartite memorandum of understanding during a meeting in Istanbul. ■
