Iraq announces plans for $17 billion transportation project linking Asia to Europe

By SALAR SALIM

IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Iraq’s prime minister announced plans for a $17 billion regional transportation project intended to facilitate the flow of goods from Asia to Europe. The announcement was made at a one-day conference in Baghdad on Saturday that convened transport ministers and representatives from Iraq, the Gulf countries, Turkey, Iran, Syria, and Jordan. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said the planned Development Road project would facilitate the movement of goods from the Gulf to Europe by way of the Grand Faw Port in Basra, in southern Iraq, which would be connected to Turkey, then to Europe, through a network of railways and highways.