ANKARA
As diplomatic ties between Ankara and Baghdad are improving, Turkish contractors are seeking to benefit from this atmosphere, eyeing more and larger projects in the neighboring country.
During President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Iraq in April, the first in 12 years, the two countries inked 26 agreements on cooperation in various fields from agriculture to security and transport.
This was followed by Transport Minister Abdülkadir Uraloğlu’s visit in June, during which he discussed the proposed multi-billion-dollar “Development Road Project,” aimed at connecting Iraq to Türkiye through railways, roads, and ports, with his Iraqi counterpart Razzaq Muhaibis Al-Saadawi.
The two ministers also discussed further improving ties and cooperation in transport projects.
There will be more talks and visits between the two countries this month and in November.
A delegation from the Turkish Contractors’ Association (TMB) is expected to travel to Iraq next week. Trade Minister Ömer Bolat, accompanied by contractors and businesspeople, is scheduled to visit Baghdad and Basra on Nov. 18-19.
Turkish contractors have carried out 12,297 projects in 137 countries worth a total of $515.8 billion between 1972 and September 2024, according to Erdal Eren, the president of TMB.
“Iraq accounts for 6.8 percent of those projects or $38 billion,” Eren said.
Iraq is the third largest market for Turkish companies, which have been awarded 13 projects worth $624 million in 2024 alone, he added.
Eren recalled that Bolat and his Iraqi counterpart, Atheer Dawood Salman Al Ghrairi, chaired a round table meeting in April during Erdoğan’s visit.
Eren stated that the meeting assessed the current commercial and economic relations between the two countries and discussed a roadmap for the period ahead.
Turkish companies are keeping a close eye on the Development Road project, which is estimated to cost around $17 billion, he noted.
This project involves the construction of a 1,200-kilometer railway and a parallel highway connecting the Faw Port in Basra to the Turkish border, according to Eren.
He noted that Iraq plans several large infrastructure projects, including the $17.5 billion Baghdad Metro Project, the $2 billion Baghdad Ring Road Project, and the construction of 100 hospitals, 3,000 schools and 4 million homes.
