Türkiye and Iraq are set to reaffirm optimistic floor of their relations with a collection of upcoming visits that can come because the neighbors are engaged within the growth of a multibillion-dollar regional transportation challenge designed to ease the motion of products from Asia to Europe.
Iraq is Türkiye’s key commerce ally within the area, though the ties have been strained by a collection of points, together with the presence of PKK terrorists in northern Iraq and Turkish army actions towards the group on Iraqi territory. Baghdad says the operations are a violation of its sovereignty, however Ankara stresses they’re wanted to guard itself.
In April, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made his first official go to to Baghdad in over a decade, searching for cooperation within the battle towards the PKK, which has maintained bases in northern Iraq’s mountainous area, which is managed by the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
Erdoğan’s go to resulted within the signing of quite a few agreements within the areas of vitality, commerce and water sharing.
Two months later, the Iraqi authorities introduced an official ban on the PKK.
Ankara has argued that PKK’s presence in Iraq threatens the deliberate development of the proposed $20 billion Development Road Project.
The challenge is designed to facilitate the transport of products from the Gulf to Europe through the Grand Faw Port in Basra in southern Iraq. The port could be linked to Türkiye and subsequently to Europe by an intensive community of railways and highways.
The initiative, which was unveiled final yr, would flip Iraq right into a pivotal transportation hub, enhancing the nation’s financial resurgence and boosting cooperation with its neighbors.
A delegation led by the Turkish Contractors Association (TCA) is scheduled to go to Iraq subsequent week to deal with the initiative and talk about the potential for brand spanking new cooperation as Baghdad plans a number of new bold tasks, in line with Anadolu Agency (AA).
That is anticipated to be adopted by a visit of Trade Minister Ömer Bolat, who will accompanied by contractors and business individuals. Bolat is scheduled to go to Baghdad and Basra.
Turkish contractors have already been closely concerned in Iraq.
According to Erdal Eren, head of the TCA, Iraq accounts for six.8% of all tasks builders had undertaken overseas from 1972 to the tip of this September.
Projects value roughly $35 billion make Iraq the third-largest marketplace for Turkish contractors, which have undertaken 12,297 tasks in 137 international locations, valued at $515.8 billion, up to now, in line with Eren.
This yr alone, Turkish contractors have undertaken 13 tasks in Iraq value $624 million.
“The Development Road Project, closely followed by Turkish firms, is expected to cost at least $17 billion. This project involves a 1,200-kilometer (745.65-mile) railway and a parallel highway stretching from the Faw Port in Basra to the Turkish border,” stated Eren.
In addition, Iraq is transferring ahead with a number of different large-scale infrastructure tasks.
These embrace the $17.5 billion Baghdad Metro Project, the $2 billion Baghdad Ring Road Project, and plans to construct practically 100 hospitals, over 3,000 faculties, roughly 4 million new housing items, and quite a few irrigation tasks, in line with Eren.
“Iraq is a market with an estimated $5 billion worth of project opportunities annually,” he famous.
He expressed Turkish builders’ hope for concrete steps on all these bold tasks throughout the upcoming visits on Oct. 15-17 and Nov. 18-19.
Iraq, in the meantime, stays considered one of Türkiye’s high buying and selling companions.
Exports to Iraq amounted to $8.4 billion within the first eight months of this yr, whereas imports totaled $1.1 billion, in line with the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat).
That marks a rise from final yr’s $7.7 billion and $876 million, respectively.
In 2023, the whole commerce quantity between the 2 international locations totaled $14.3 billion, with $12.8 billion in Türkiye’s exports.
Source: www.dailysabah.com