Iraqi Ports Co. denies Faw Port removal from Silk Road

INA – BAGHDAD
 
General Company for Iraqi Ports confirmed on Monday, that Faw port is part of the Silk Road, denying what was reported about its exit, while indicating the imminence of a contract with an Italian company to map up the dry canal.
 
"The port of Faw is part of the Silk Road, and there is no change in this road. The distance between the port of Faw and the Syrian port of Tartous is about 1200 km and between the port of Faw and the Turkish Mersin is 1500 km, as this is the shortest distance and it is called the Neck in the maritime trade route,” said the Director General of Ports, Farhan Al-Fartousi, in a statement to the Iraqi News Agency (INA).
 
He added, "When maritime trade from China or Southeast Asia moves by sea towards the Red Sea, up towards the Suez Canal and across the Mediterranean to Europe, Faw port will shorten that distance through the Iraqi dry channel, starting from the port upwards and back,"
 
"The Ministry of Transport will soon contract with one of the Italian companies specialized in drawing the Iraqi dry canal," he noted, adding that "the coming Wednesday and Thursday will witness the attendance of more than 60 academic and scientific figures outside Basra, in addition to up to 100 visual personalities in the port of Faw to view the project and advanced proportions,”
 
The former Minister of Transport, Kadhim Finjan Al-Hamami, said earlier that Iraq had left the Silk Road because of what he called the failure to deal with Faw port.
 
The Chinese News Agency also published a map of the Silk Road, which includes not passing through the port of Faw, but rather includes Iraq through the Kurdistan region and then Turkey.