Iraq PM publicly orders Transport Minister to sign Turkey corridor deal
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) — Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi publicly ordered his Transport Minister to sign a major agreement on the Development Road project at a joint ceremony with Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday after an unexpected delay that temporarily interrupted the signing event.
The event occurred at a live broadcast ceremony in Ankara after the conclusion of discussions between Iraq and Turkey to strengthen cooperation in transportation, energy, and commerce.
Footage from the occasion shows Al-Zaidi interrogating Transport Minister Wahib al-Husseini about why the deal had not been signed before telling him to do it immediately.
Al-Zaidi then went to an interpreter, requesting that Erdogan be notified that he had instructed the Minister to sign.
The unexpected conversation temporarily overshadowed a tour meant to highlight progress on the Development Road project, a hallmark Iraqi program that would connect the Gulf’s Grand Faw Port to Turkey by a network of trains and roadways, establishing a significant commerce corridor between Asia and Europe.
Neither the Iraqi government nor Iraq’s Transport Ministry immediately stated the cause of the delay.
However, Iraqi politicians and media analysts said that al-Husseini originally delayed signing due to opposition from political groupings connected with the Iran-backed Badr Organization, led by Hadi al-Amiri, to whom the minister is affiliated.
According to the sources, opponents worried the corridor would reduce Iran’s position as a regional transit route.
The incident occurs at a crucial moment for Al-Zaidi, who has worked to establish Iraq as a regional transportation and logistics center while luring billions of dollars in international investment.
In recent weeks, the young Prime Minister has achieved a number of investment deals during travels to the United States, where American corporations have declared more than $60 billion in planned projects, and Iran, where Baghdad has inked transport and railway collaboration agreements.
He is also scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia later this week.
The Development Road initiative is fundamental to Iraq’s economic policy, with the goal of diversifying state income away from oil, increasing trade flows, and establishing Iraq as a major gateway linking the Gulf to Turkey and European markets.
The public dispute underscored Al-Zaidi’s political concerns as he strives to promote big economic changes while balancing opposing interests among Iraq’s strong political factions and armed organizations, some of whom have close links to Iran.
Analysts argue that managing those opposing interests remains one of his premiership’s most difficult challenges, as Baghdad seeks greater economic links with the United States, Turkey, and Gulf Arab governments while preserving relations with Tehran.