Presenting the project to a regional conference in Baghdad, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani touted it as an important contribution to regional integration processes, as cited by the Iraqi News Agency.
"We assure that the 'Development Road' initiative serves the interests of all regional countries. This transit path for goods and energy will yield substantial developmental gains for Iraq and neighboring nations," Iraqi Transport Minister Razaq Mhaibes was quoted by the Shafaq news agency as saying.
The conference was attended by ministers of transport and officials from Iraq, Syria, Turkiye, Iran, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman. As a result of the conference, technical committees were reportedly formed to develop a comprehensive concept of the nature and scope of the countries' participation in the project.
Farhan al-Fartousi, the director general of the General Company for Ports of Iraq, told media outlets that the project could be completed as early as 2029 if work begins early next year.