BAGHDAD, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a phone call on Monday, during which they discussed strengthening bilateral relations and expanding economic cooperation.
A statement by al-Zaidi's media office said that the two leaders discussed several issues of shared interest, foremost among them oil exports via the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline, and joint efforts to develop mechanisms for exporting Iraqi oil to European markets.
Both leaders stressed importance of the "Development Road" project and its strategic role in enhancing economic and trade connectivity between the two countries and the region.
Iraq launched the 17-billion-U.S.-dollar Development Road project in 2023. It aims to connect a major commodities port on the country's southern coast to the border with Türkiye through railways and roads, in a bid to transform Iraq from an oil-dependent economy into a major transit hub between Asia and Europe. ■
