Iraq and Saudi Arabia .. {new border crossing} via Najaf

Iraq and Saudi Arabia .. {new border crossing} via Najaf

Thursday 18th February 2021 214



Al-Najaf: Hussein Al-Kaabi

With the beginning of last December, the works of the first and second phases of the land road linking Najaf Governorate with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were launched, after a hiatus of several years, while it is expected that this road will contribute to reviving the tourist and archaeological areas, and increasing trade exchange between Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

The noble Najaf governorate hopes to transform the "border control" with Saudi Arabia into a border crossing that includes areas for commercial exchange, such as the Arar port in Anbar province, and the expected Jumayma port in the Muthanna governorate.

The relations between Baghdad and Riyadh witnessed great development at various levels, as it culminated in the establishment of the Joint Coordinating Council between the two countries, with the intention to enhance trade and investment exchange between the two countries.

The governor of Najaf, Louay Al-Yasiri, told Al-Sabah: “The local government is seriously following up the implementation of this vital project,” while he attributed the reasons for the delay to {the financial crisis and the war on ISIS terrorist in 2014, the same year in which the Ministry of Construction and Housing referred the project for implementation}.

He added, "Iraq has agreed with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to open border crossings between them, and it is hoped that this road will be one of these outlets by transferring border control to a border crossing that includes areas for trade exchange."

He pointed out that "this road will be available for pilgrims to the House of God who take the land routes, and it shortens a large part of the distance that the pilgrims travel through the Arar border crossing," expressing his hope that "this project will make a major economic shift for the governorate because it will serve a lot of Agricultural, industrial and residential projects in that region, and there will be great openness by maintaining these areas because of the presence of this vital road.

For his part, Director of the Roads and Bridges Division in the governorate, Haider Hamid Atshan, told Al-Sabah that “the total length of the road is 239 km, and the Ministry of Construction and Housing is implementing it in stages at a total cost of 168 billion dinars, and two phases of this road have a length of 50 km each. Stage".

He indicated that “the first phase extends from the 27th to the 77th kilometer, and includes the construction of a bridge over a valley of 288 meters in length, and the cost of this stage is 42 billion dinars, from which the implementing company received 9 billion and a half billion, and the completion rate has reached 50 percent so far, and the prescribed period for completion is 850 Yuma ».

As for the second phase, Atshan explains that it is being implemented at a cost of 33 billion and 814 million dinars. The implementing company has so far received two billion dinars, and the completion rate is 2 percent and the completion period is 900 days.

In this regard, the residents of the Bahr al-Najaf region, which is located to the west of the governorate center, see that "this project will revitalize this region, and revive investment projects in which it is possible to succeed in the presence of a modern road network."

Kazem Al-Ghazali, one of the inhabitants of the border (Al-Shabaka) district, which is about 172 km away from the center of Najaf Governorate, explained that "the land pilgrimage road will revive this region which is characterized by raising livestock and has a large animal wealth, in addition to agricultural projects that need a road network linking it to the markets." .

He added, "The land road that passes through the sub-district and many villages in this region also passes through ancient monuments, including the wells of Zubaydah and the spring of water called Ain Wahb Al-Ansari, and it is the eye that Imam Hussein (PBUH) passed by while on his way to Karbala." In addition, Al-Ghazali mentioned , The Bahr al-Najaf region qualifies as a distinct tourist area that attracts many visitors and tourists.



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