Ayşe Böcüoğlu Bodur
25 June 2026•Update: 25 June 2026
The first phase of the Development Road project will prioritize construction of a comprehensive cross-border railway network as an alternative route following logistical disruptions caused by the Middle East conflict, Turkey's transport and infrastructure minister told Anadolu.
Abdulkadir Uraloglu said the international corridor aims to connect the Gulf to European markets through Iraq and Türkiye, with a parallel highway system planned for subsequent phases of the project.
"Türkiye is a country keeping its word and being there when needed during difficult times," he said, highlighting its stability through both the Russia-Ukraine war and the Middle East conflict.
The minister noted that Iraq is constructing new ports for the Development Road corridor, the most significant of which is the Grand Faw Port in the Gulf.
He said the corridor will enable cargo from the Gulf of Basra to reach Türkiye via both highway and rail before continuing into Europe.
"We also want to build energy transmission, communications, and telecommunications lines through here," he added.
Uraloglu said the Grand Faw Port will gain considerably greater importance through the Development Road project, becoming a massive logistics hub upon completion.
"Türkiye boasts around 217 ports of various sizes and the Grand Faw Port will be large enough to account for one-fourth of the combined capacity of Turkish ports," he said.
"Fuel and exports arriving from other countries via this port will be transported by rail and highway, so we agreed to implement the railway section in the first phase of the project."
"We plan to bring the highway online in the future and additionally we will further strengthen our route by connecting the Development Road corridor to the Middle Corridor," he added.
Uraloglu said the project involves plans to invest in a 615 kilometer (382 mile) new railway line for the 2,008 kilometer (1,247 mile) rail connection passing through Türkiye, as well as a 320 kilometer (199 mile) new highway for the 1,912 kilometer (1,188 mile) road corridor.
"Türkiye, Iraq, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reached an agreement on this project, which will contribute to the region's transit trade — we expect the Development Road project will strengthen Türkiye's transit role in Middle East-Europe trade, while boosting cargo volume at ports, logistics centers, and railways, as well as creating an alternative route along the Gulf-Europe corridor and accelerating logistics investments in the southeastern provinces of Mersin, Gaziantep, and more," he said.
"We expect the project's completion to contribute around $55 billion to the Turkish economy over a decade," he added.
*Writing by Emir Yildirim in Istanbul
