Iraq presented this Saturday May 27 a project for the construction of a road and a railway linking the Gulf to Turkey, two works intended to place on the road of world transport a country which is emerging from several decades of conflict. .
The project, valued at $17 billion by the Iraqi government, is still in its infancy. The first sod of this 1,200 kilometer corridor has not been given. According to Baghdad’s wish, the road and the railway will have to be built in cooperation with countries in the region: Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Syria, Oman, Jordan, Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia. Their representatives were also invited this Saturday, May 27 to the presentation of this “Road to developmentin the Iraqi capital.
” We see in this sustainable project a pillar of the economy that will no longer be based on oil said Prime Minister Mohamed Chia al-Soudani at the opening of the meeting. “ It is a bond that will serve Iraq’s neighbors and the region and (contribute) to economic integration where the Gulf plays a major role in global shipping, he added. Each country that wishes can carry out part of the project “Explained the Transport Committee of the Iraqi Parliament, which believes that the project could be completed” in three to five years “.
“Interdependence”
“ The Development Route will boost interdependence between the countries of the region “, assured in his intervention the Turkish ambassador in Baghdad, Ali Riza Güney, without specifying how high his country, essential economic partner of Iraq, intended to contribute financially.
Ravaged by decades of war and pervasive corruption, Iraq, however rich in hydrocarbons, has a huge infrastructure problem. Riddled with potholes, poorly maintained, its roads are in a lamentable state. And those that connect Baghdad to the north pass through some areas where cells of the Islamic State group are still sporadically active.
Mohamed Chia al-Soudani insists that the rehabilitation of the road network is one of his priorities, along with the upgrading of the electrical network, which is just as failing. The road and rail corridor should allow Iraq to capitalize on its geographical position and make this country a hub for the transport of goods and people between the Gulf and Turkey, then Europe. The project provides for the construction of around fifteen stations along the route, notably in Basra in the south of the country, Baghdad and Mosul in the north, up to the border with Turkey.
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A lack of “flow”
Major works are already underway to develop the capacity of the commercial and industrial port of Fao, on the shores of the Gulf, where goods will be unloaded before using the new road or rail. The Gulf, bordered in particular by Iran and Saudi Arabia, is a major maritime transport zone, especially for the hydrocarbons extracted in the countries of the region.
But Zyad al-Hachémi, an Iraqi consultant in international transport, questions the viability of the Iraqi project, pointing to its lack of “ fluidity “. “ Customers prefer to transport their goods directly from Asia to Europe without going through a loading and unloading process “, Between container ships and road or rail, he told AFP.
Transport is one of the key sectors of the global economy. Other colossal projects also put flows at the heart of their ambition, like the ” New Silk Roads launched in 2013 by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Officially called “the Belt and Road”, this project which brings together 130 countries aims to develop land and maritime infrastructure to better connect China to Asia, Europe and Africa.
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(With AFP)