ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Turkey is planning to increase its trade volume with Iraq to $30 billion annually, its ambassador said on Monday, with Ankara consolidating itself as one of Baghdad’s main trade partners. 

“Iraq is one of the leading trade partners in the region, with Turkey’s total exports exceeding $12.3 billion in 2025, and we aim to increase trade volume between the two countries to at least $30 billion in the coming period,” Turkish Ambassador to Iraq Anil Bora Inan told the Iraqi state-owned al-Sabah newspaper. 

Economic relations between Ankara and Baghdad have deepened in recent years despite ongoing disputes on water sharing and Iraq having long criticized Turkey’s military operations in the country. 

Iraq imports a wide range of Turkish goods, including food products, construction materials, machinery, textiles, and household items. Turkish companies also maintain a strong presence in Iraq’s construction and infrastructure sectors, particularly in the Kurdistan Region.

Turkey is among Iraq’s largest trading partners. According to the ambassador, it is keen to “help Iraq expand its economic base, actively support the Development Road project, and strengthen Iraq’s links to international transport networks.”

The Development Road is a massive, multi-billion-dollar project that entails the expansion of railways, roads, and ports, shortening travel time between Asia and Europe and linking the Grand Faw Port in southern Iraq to the Turkish border.

The route will pass through Diwaniyah, Najaf, Karbala, Baghdad, and Mosul before entering Turkey’s Sirnak Province and reaching Mersin on the Mediterranean Sea.

“Turkey has a principled approach to its relations with Iraq, regardless of regional developments, especially with regard to trade and economic ties based on mutual interests,” Inan asserted, stressing that Ankara “is already playing an important role in supporting the Iraqi economy.” 

The Kurdistan Region also enjoys strong economic relations with Turkey, with trade volume said to be over $5 billion annually between Erbil and Ankara.