Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) \u2014 Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi said on Tuesday that the Middle East needs new success stories built on economic integration rather than conflict, arguing that Iraq and Turkey have the potential to create a model regional partnership through joint investment, infrastructure, and trade.<\/p>\n
The remarks came in an article published by Turkey\u2019s Anadolu Agency ahead of Al Zaidi\u2019s official visit to Ankara, where he is expected to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan and senior officials.<\/p>\n
Al Zaidi said relations between Iraq and Turkey have traditionally focused on managing issues such as security, water resources, trade, and border crossings. However, he argued that regional changes require a more ambitious vision centered on economic cooperation.<\/p>\n
He said Iraq has chosen a path of stability, reform, and development, prioritizing a stronger economy, an effective state, and balanced foreign relations that make regional cooperation a pillar of growth.<\/p>\n
According to Al Zaidi, Turkey\u2019s industrial base, strategic location, and expertise in infrastructure, energy, and transportation complement Iraq\u2019s geographic position, creating an opportunity to establish one of the region\u2019s most significant economic partnerships.<\/p>\n
The prime minister highlighted the Development Road Project, describing it as more than an Iraqi initiative. He said the corridor could redefine economic connectivity in the Middle East by linking Gulf ports with Asian and European markets.<\/p>\n
He added that the project would not only reduce shipping times but also create new cities, industrial zones, investment opportunities, and thousands of jobs, while establishing a new economic artery connecting ports to global markets.<\/p>\n
Al Zaidi also stressed that security cooperation remains essential, saying Iraq\u2019s and Turkey\u2019s security are closely linked and require mutual respect for sovereignty as well as joint efforts to combat terrorism and organized crime.<\/p>\n
On water issues, he said water is no longer simply a technical matter but a development challenge affecting millions of people. He called for a shared approach based on mutual interests, scientific cooperation, and investment in modern technologies to strengthen water and food security.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Middle East needs new success stories,\u201d Al Zaidi wrote, adding that Iraq and Turkey can provide one if they move beyond traditional cooperation toward genuine economic integration.<\/p>\n
He said every joint investment, factory, transport route, and energy project represents an investment in regional stability, arguing that lasting stability is built through shared projects rather than conflict.<\/p>\n
Later on Tuesday, Al Zaidi departed for Ankara at the head of a high-level government delegation. According to the Prime Minister\u2019s Office, the visit will focus on strengthening bilateral cooperation in the fields of economy, water, security, investment, and regional affairs.<\/p>\n
The two sides are also expected to review the implementation of existing agreements and memoranda of understanding, while discussing progress on joint infrastructure projects, including the Development Road initiative.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) \u2014 Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi said on Tuesday that the Middle East needs new…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":225892,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[14],"tags":[30690,64511,63821,94,64022,64479,64512,64513,39576,3988,64514],"class_list":["post-225891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-iraq","tag-ali-al-zaidi","tag-ankara-visit","tag-development-road-project","tag-iraq","tag-iraq-infrastructure","tag-iraq-investment","tag-iraq-turkey-economic-integration","tag-iraq-turkey-relations","tag-middle-east-economy","tag-recep-tayyip-erdogan","tag-regional-cooperation"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/116997052599420401","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225891","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=225891"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225891\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/225892"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=225891"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=225891"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=225891"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}