The General Company for Iraqi Railways (GCIR) and China Railway Construction Corporation (CRRC) have discussed investment in railway projects in the OPEC member including the Dry Canal project and increasing the efficiency of existing lines, the Iraqi transport ministry's spokesperson told Zawya Projects.

Faleh Hadi said the discussions were held as part of plans by Iraq's minister of transport Nasser Hussein Bandar Al-Shibli to involve international companies in developing Iraq's railway infrastructure.

Earlier this week, Zawya Projects had reported that GCIR had discussed Basra-Turkey and Basra-Al Faw railway projects, part of the wider Dry Canal project, with a Chinese state-owned company.

Hadi quoted GCIR's Director General Talib Al-Husseini as saying the delegations discussed the inclusion of the Dry Canal project within the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) spearheaded by China.

The project proposes to link the Arab Gulf and Europe via a road and rail network, as well as gas and oil pipelines, according to a February 2020 report by the UAE-based think-tank Emirates Policy Centre (EPC).

(Reporting by Majda Muhsen; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@refinitiv.com)

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