Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) welcomes visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Türkiye, on May 8, 2025. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani vowed here on Thursday to jointly push for the implementation of the regional transportation project Development Road. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)
ANKARA, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani vowed here on Thursday to jointly push for the implementation of the regional transportation project Development Road.
"The Development Road project will contribute greatly to the stability and prosperity of both Iraq and the entire region. During our meeting, we discussed the steps for the rapid realization of the project," Erdogan said at a joint press conference with al-Sudani.
Türkiye will also extend bilateral cooperation with Iraq in electricity, natural gas, and energy, Erdogan added.
"We desire to expedite progress on issues such as the resumption of oil shipments through the Iraq-Türkiye pipeline," he noted.
In the joint press conference, al-Sudani called Development Road "a great opportunity to further strengthen the integration between the two countries."
"It is important for both countries and the entire region," al-Sudani stressed.
Development Road, aiming to link the Al-Faw Grand Port in southern Iraq to Türkiye's border and further extend into Europe, was officially initiated following the signing of a quadripartite memorandum of understanding between Türkiye, Iraq, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates in 2024 during a meeting in Istanbul. ■
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) welcomes visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Türkiye, on May 8, 2025. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani vowed here on Thursday to jointly push for the implementation of the regional transportation project Development Road. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) shakes hands with visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Türkiye, on May 8, 2025. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani vowed here on Thursday to jointly push for the implementation of the regional transportation project Development Road. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)