Baghdad and Ankara push road-and-rail border connection

Shafaq News- Baghdad/ Ankara

Iraq and Turkiye are moving to implement a new road-and-rail border crossing at Fishkhabur-Ovakoy and connect it to Iraq’s Development Road project, Border Ports Authority chief Lt. Gen. Omar Al-Waeli said on Wednesday.

Al-Waeli, who led an Iraqi delegation to Ankara, noted that talks focused on implementing the July 28 transport memorandum using routes, maps, and locations already identified by joint technical committees. The agreement, signed by the Iraqi and Turkish transport ministries, covers railway and road transport through the planned crossing and related infrastructure to expand cross-border capacity.

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The delegation, which included the heads of Iraq’s road transport and railway authorities, also joined Turkish and Syrian officials for trilateral talks on increasing trade and transit traffic, facilitating the movement of goods and passengers, and improving coordination between border agencies.

The Fishkhabur-Ovakoy link is intended to connect with the Development Road, a planned 1,200-kilometer rail and highway corridor from Grand Al-Faw Port in southern Iraq to Turkiye and onward toward European markets.

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