The Ministry of Transport confirmed that the government, as part of its proceeding with the Development Road project, has come a long way in preparing designs, soil exploring, and removing encroachments, under the direct guidance and supervision of Prime Minister Muhammad Al-Sudani.
The director of the media office of the Ministry of Transport, Maytham Al-Safi, responded to what was reported by some news agencies, saying that the development road is “just a media show,” and that the government is “not serious about implementing it,” saying: “We have completed the designs of the first section of the development road project after completing the economic feasibility study for the project, two companies began exploring the soil,” stressing that the ministry will begin implementation as soon as the final designs are completed according to the timelines.
Al-Safi said: “The conversations and statements raised by the media indicated that the project, if implemented, would not be economically feasible for Iraq, in light of what is being promoted about the existence of an Indian-Gulf railway link project towards Europe, far from the development road” stressing that “The development road will be the closest and most suitable for transportation and linking operations between the continents of Asia and Europe.”
Al-Safi added: “The development road does not conflict in terms of design with any project for any country, but we believe that our project constitutes a qualitative leap in the process of economic development, and will even make Iraq a destination for global investment.”
He continued his speech by saying that the development road will be via a single sea-land route, which will make the cost of transportation lower, shorter and faster, and this within the economic and trade equations will make an important difference for exporters and importers.
Al-Safi warned that "the port of Faw is the closest point for marine cargo to Europe, and therefore the exporting countries want to export their goods and products through the port of Faw, which constitutes an important lung for the development road, indicating that "the cost of maritime transport is less than the rail and land transport, and therefore the proposed railway projects will not be of any benefit to development.”
The director of the media office of the ministry noted that there are many countries that wish to join the development road, and they have announced this clearly through their diplomatic channels, and through meetings and talks held by Minister Razzaq Muhibis Al-Saadawi with his counterparts in the governments of neighboring countries and the region, and so on.
Al-Safi indicated that the development road that starts from the port of Al-Faw in Basra Governorate passes through a number of Iraqi governorates, as well as industrial and tourism projects that will be on both sides of it until the Turkish border, through the link point in Fishkhabur region, and from there it departs towards the European continent.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency