Ιndia's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ahead of the G20 Leaders' Summit in New Delhi.
Turkish president says Ankara is backing a rival scheme to connect the Gulf to Turkey through Iraq, called the Development Road Project
Sept 12,
2023. Posted by Balkan Periscope - Hellas
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday pushed back against plans announced by the
leaders of India, Saudi Arabia and the EU to create a trade corridor that would link South Asia to Europe and bypass Turkey.
“We say
that there is no corridor without Turkey,” Erdogan told journalists
accompanying him to a G20 summit in India on Sunday. “Turkey is an important
production and trade base. The most convenient line for traffic from east to
west has to pass through Turkey.”
The
transport link, dubbed the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, or IMEC,
aims to establish railway lines and shipping that will pass through the United
Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel, then reach to Greece and
Europe.
A
memorandum of understanding on the corridor was signed by the European Union,
India, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the US and other G20 partners.
One of the
main objectives of the project is to cut shipping times by 40 percent and save
money on other costs, and fuel use.
Erdogan
said he is aware that many countries are trying to expand their area of
influence by creating trade corridors and Turkey backs the Iraq Development
Road Project, which aims to connect the Gulf to Turkey and Europe through a
railway and highway via ports in the UAE, Qatar and Iraq.
Erdogan
said UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, in particular, "made a much more
determined suggestion on this issue on Saturday".
The Turkish
president quoted the Emirati leader as saying: "Let's not prolong this
matter, let our friends finish the negotiations in 60 days, and let's lay the
foundations immediately and hit the road.”
Erdogan
added: “The United Arab Emirates is very ready for this job. Qatar is very
ready. We are very, very ready for it. I hope we will have taken this step in
this way.”
Trains
operating at 300kph
The
development road project entails the creation of a dual-track railway spanning
approximately 1,200 km and the construction of a modern highway running out of
al-Faw, a port in southern Iraq's Basra governorate.
The Iraqi
government envisions trains operating at speeds of up to 300 kilometres per
hour facilitating the transportation of both passengers and goods.
Additionally,
plans include the establishment of logistic hubs, industrial complexes and the
potential integration of oil and gas pipelines.
This
ambitious scheme is estimated to require an investment of around $17bn, with
projected annual returns of $4bn and the creation of a minimum of 100,000 jobs.
Middleeast Eye
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