Following many years of delicate planning and constructive talks between Türkiye and Iraq, the 'Development Road Project' launching a new infrastructure network, running from southeastern Turkiye, through Iraq, all the way to Basra on the Gulf garnered a new jolt last week by President Erdogan who referenced it at a press conference with Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. The railway and road network will begin at Ovakoy on the Turkish-Iraqi border and head south. It will pass major cities in Iraq, including Mosul, its capital Baghdad, before finally arriving at Basra and the al Faw port on the Gulf. The two countries saw a record trade year in 2022, hitting 24 billion dollars. President Erdogan also said that Turkiye would be releasing more water from the Tigris River to help alleviate water shortages downstream in Iraq.