Istanbul hosted the first ministerial meeting between Turkey, Iraq, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on Thursday to discuss the Development Road Project.
The meeting, which was held at Dolmabahce Palace, was attended by Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu and his Iraqi counterpart Razzaq Muhaibis Al-Saadawi, while Qatari and Emirati participation was via video conference.
In his speech following the meeting, Uraloğlu said that the project will directly contribute to strengthening the global trade system and the development of the participating countries.
Uraloğlu stated that the main feature of the modern economy is that multinational production, international financial flows and the volume of international trade have reached very high levels.
Commenting on the quadrilateral ministerial meeting, Uraloğlu said: “Our meeting today is not only for the future of the transportation and logistics sectors but also for the economic, social and cultural future of our countries.”
He continued: “It is very important for all of us to have safe and fast transportation facilities to establish the economic cooperation that is indispensable for our countries.”
He stressed that the existing cooperation between the four countries will be stronger thanks to the Development Road Project.
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The Turkish minister explained that the Development Road Project is important in terms of gains and supply chains and that it will benefit the countries of the region as a whole.
For his part, Iraqi Minister of Transport Razzaq Muhaibis Al-Saadawi said that the project will contribute positively to the global economy as a whole.
He added: “Today’s meeting was fruitful and good in terms of standards, and we addressed many issues related to project management and its stages. We are working to remove the obstacles that prevent the implementation of this project.”
He added: “We must know that the Development Road Project will make a great contribution to all participating countries, to the region, and to the global economy as well.”
On April 22, Turkey, Iraq, Qatar, and the UAE signed a quadrilateral memorandum of understanding in Baghdad for cooperation on the “Development Road” project under the auspices of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani.
The “Development Road” project is a land and railway road extending from Iraq to Turkey and its ports, with a length of 1,200 kilometers inside Iraq, and aims to transport goods between Europe and the Gulf countries.
