Serbia is part of the infrastructure project connecting Asia with Europe

In order to facilitate the connection of Iraq’s multimodal Development Road project, worth 17 billion USD, to the European transport system, Turkey established a council with Hungary, Bulgaria and Serbia. As stated by the Iraqi Minister of Transport, Razak Muhibis, this council supports the initiative of Iraq, Turkey, Qatar and the UAE, while Iraq is also open to other countries that would like to join this project.

Illustration (Photo: Pexels)

This ambitious infrastructure project includes the construction of a corridor from the Iraqi port of Al-Fao, which is under construction, to the Turkish borderwhich will ensure faster transit of goods to Europe, writes eKapija.

According to Minister Muhibis, five berths at Al-Fao port have already been completed, while other infrastructure works are in advanced stages, including the completion of the initial phase of the railway segment and 84% of the construction of the highway.

As part of this initiative, the transport ministers of Iraq, Turkey, Qatar and the UAE met in Baghdad to coordinate long-term project management plans. The memorandum of understanding was signed earlier, during the visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Baghdad.

According to eKapija, the plan is for this “new silk road” to connect Europe with Asia via the Middle East, through a network of road and railway infrastructure 1,000 kilometers long.

The corridor is expected to contain industrial complexes and logistics centersand perhaps oil and gas pipelines, which further contributes to its strategic importance for connecting Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

According to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, this project revitalizes Mesopotamia’s historic role as a trade corridor.

The “Development Road” project is reminiscent of the historical railway from Baghdad to Constantinople from the 19th century, which connected the European continent with the Middle East. Military analyst Boško Jovanović points out the geopolitical importance of Serbia as a key hub in this projectindicating its strategic position between east and west.