On Thursday, Istanbul hosted the first ministerial meeting between Turkey, Iraq, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, to discuss the development road project.
The meeting was attended by Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Oraloglu and his Iraqi counterpart Razzaq Muhibs Al-Saadawi, while Qatari and Emirati participation was via video conference, according to the Turkish Anadolu Agency.
In a speech following the meeting, Oraloglu said that the project will directly contribute to strengthening the global trade system and the development of the participating countries.
Oraloglu 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.
He added: “Our meeting today (yesterday, Thursday) is not only for the future of the transportation and logistics sectors, but also for the economic, social and cultural future of our countries.”
“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 continued.
He stressed that the existing cooperation between the four countries will be stronger thanks to the Development Road project.
The Turkish Minister explained that the development road project is important in terms of gains and supply chains, and that it will benefit all countries in the region.
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 achievement of this project.”
On April 22, Turkey, Iraq, Qatar and the UAE signed a quadripartite 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.
