Plans to build Iraq’s biggest port are already underway (Image: Getty)
A multi-billion-pound project is in the works to create new between Europe and West Asia.
The so-called “Route of Development” will run across the length of , stretching 1,200 kilometres from the northern Turkish border to the southern Persian Gulf.
The mega-project, which would comprise a network of roads, railways, ports and cities, would shorten travel time between Asia and Europe – providing competition to Egypt’s , which currently acts as a key trade route between the two continents.
It will reportedly expand into Europe after establishing a trade corridor into Turkey and is expected to secure Iraq’s position on the world stage as well as its internal economy and infrastructure.
The new route will build upon the already-underway Grand Al Faw Port project – a port on the Persian Gulf allowing Iraq to better supply its exports to the rest of the world which marks the country’s biggest developmental undertaking to date.
The new project would link the ongoing Grand Faw Port project to Europe (Image: Getty)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani sees the project as a pillar of a sustainable non-oil economy, a link that serves Iraq’s neighbours and the region, and a contribution to economic integration efforts,” .
The West Asian geopolitical newspapaer also suggests that any willing country “will be able to carry out part of the project”, which could be completed within three to five years.
The ultimate aim is to create an “uninterrupted highway and rail corridor between Basra and London”, according to the – with a fully realised project potentially exceeding its stated cost of $17 billion (£13.4 billion).
The Route of Development could offer a more financially viable alternative to the Suez Canal thanks to the projected capacity of Grand Faw Port, which the Iraqi Transport Minister said “will be able to host large trade ships with a depth of up to 19.5 metres”, as reported by the Anadolu Agency (AA).
He also suggested it would save between 12 and 15 days in travel time in comparison to its Egypt-based counterpart.
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The project also has the backing of a number of influential states, with the governments of UAE and Qatar signing a memorandum in the summer.
Despite this, Transport Minister Razzaq Muhibis Al-Saadawi has stressed that it is “a purely economy-focused project, completely devoid of politics”.
He told the AA: “We will not engage in competition with any other party. Iraq and Turkey have geographical advantages. We will utilize this for the benefit of our peoples.”