Turkiye hopes Development Road Project with Iraq will be implemented soon: Parliament speaker

Turkiye’s parliament speaker voiced hope Tuesday that the Development Road Project linking Iraq with Turkiye would become fully operational as soon as possible, Anadolu reports.

“I hope the Development Road Project will become an active, visible and fully implemented project with all its components as soon as possible,” Numan Kurtulmus told a joint news conference in the capital Ankara with Haibat al-Halbousi, his visiting Iraqi counterpart.

“The Development Road Project is a very important project that will ensure connectivity in the fullest sense and, in the coming period, contribute to the development of Iraq and the region, as well as Turkiye’s development,” he said.

“Through this project, Asia and Europe will be connected via Iraq and Turkiye, and the Asian and European economies will become integrated with one another.”

The strategic trade corridor will stretch about 1,200 kilometers (745.65 miles) from Iraq’s Grand Faw Port through Turkiye and into Europe, according to Turkish officials.

Kurtulmus also said the two sides had once again reaffirmed their full support for all steps to be taken under the project and exchanged views on ways to accelerate the process.

“We believe both countries will achieve significant gains within the framework of the win-win principle,” he said.

Kurtulmus stressed that the benefits will go beyond economic gains, saying the project would also connect peoples, cultures, and cities across the region.

“It will mean bringing together the parts of our region that have become separated, which makes it an exceptionally valuable project,” he added.

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‘Terror-Free Turkiye approach will have an impact across the entire region’

Kurtulmus also said Turkiye’s efforts to eliminate terrorism would have an impact beyond the country’s borders.

“We hope that the Terror-Free Turkiye approach will have an impact across the entire region and that our Iraqi brothers and sisters will also be rid of terrorism as soon as possible,” he said, referring to a sweeping, multi-year effort by Turkish officials.

Kurtulmus said Turkiye is well aware of how numerous organizations have plagued Iraq and caused immense suffering to the Iraqi people.

“Now every part of Iraq will be cleared of terrorist groups, Iraq will be freed from armed militia groups, and, God willing, a terror-free Iraq will also be built,” he said.

“We will soon witness the practical effects across the entire region of the end of PKK terrorism in Turkiye and of the ‘Terror-Free Turkiye’ process.

“I would like to emphasize that the preparations for armed groups and militia groups in Iraq to hand over their weapons to the Iraqi central government, beginning next month, are also very important,” Kurtulmus stressed.

He said the consensus among Iraq’s political institutions on disarming militias was an important achievement for the country.

“The fact that all elements of Iraq, particularly the president, prime minister, parliament speaker, and head of the judiciary, are in agreement on the disarmament of militias in Iraq is an important gain for Iraq,” Kurtulmus said.

He expressed hope that the disarmament process would be implemented as soon as possible and that “every city and every town” in Iraq would become a place where peace and security prevail.

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