Iraq has invited Lebanon to participate in the upcoming conference of the technical committees for the Development Road, set to take place in Baghdad next week. Iraqi Minister of Transport, Razak Muhibis al-Saadawi, who visited Ain al-Tineh alongside his Lebanese counterpart Ali Hamie and the head of the Iraqi embassy mission in Beirut, Amin al-Nasrawi, delivered the invitation to the Speaker of the Parliament, Nabih Berri. Berri was briefed on the goals of the Iraqi delegation's visit and the cooperation programs between the ministries of Public Works and Transport of both countries, as well as their future projects.
The Lebanese Minister of Public Works announced a project "that connects the eastern coast to the Mediterranean Sea, passing through Syria and Iraq, thus reconnecting the East with the West." He stated: "Why visit the port of Beirut and the Rafik Hariri International Airport? The Development Road crosses Iraq for 1,200 kilometers at a cost of $17 billion, starting from the Faw Port in Basra and passing through all Iraqi cities, reaching the Syrian-Turkish-Iraqi borders and then to Europe. The current project is that this road takes a route through Syria to Beirut."
He added: "Today, our visit to the Port of Beirut aims to understand the potential for the Iraqi delegation to see if the Port of Beirut and the Port of Tripoli can serve as a maritime gateway along the railway line from the eastern coast to the Mediterranean Sea, passing through Syria and into Iraq, reaching Basra, thus reconnecting the East with the West." Hamie proposed the possibility of Iraqi companies investing in the railway from the Port of Tripoli to the Port of Beirut, continuing to Al-Arayda reaching Syria, in exchange for fuel, and the possibility of establishing a free trade economic zone for Iraq on Lebanese territory. He mentioned: "Our visit today to the airport and seaports is to assess the capabilities of the airport security safety center, which belongs to the Civil Aviation Directorate, and the training and conference center affiliated with Middle East Airlines, which provides training at the logistical level and in human resources in exchange for Iraqi fuel."
