Izmir Will Be the Base of the Modern Silk Road

Izmir will be a strategic base on the Modern Silk Road. İzmir-Ankara YHT will be connected with the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars train line. İzmir will become a transfer center. Binali Yıldırım, the AK Party İzmir Deputy candidate, said, "No one will be able to hold İzmir anymore."

The strategic importance of İzmir, whose transportation and logistics infrastructure is getting stronger, is increasing in world trade. İzmir has been determined as the center and strategic base of the Modern Silk Road, which will now regain its former importance. Caspian Strategy Institute (HASEN) by yesterday at the conference held in Izmir, Turkey and Izmir were discussed steps to be taken to regain their former glory in this area. Quickly world trade center Transportation voicing shifted towards Turkey, Maritime Affairs and Communications former Minister and AK Party İzmir deputy candidate Yıldırım, "In the past that brought silk with Europe came from China and the trading of the pass line of the Silk Road, today replaced by high-speed train and left it to the ships. With the Izmir-Ankara high speed line and the Istanbul-Izmir highway ending, İzmir will become a new base in this trade. Thus, İzmir-Ankara, which will be connected to Baku-Tbilisi-Kars train line, which is planned to be opened next year, will become Izmir transfer center with its high-speed train. Nobody will be able to hold Izmir anymore. ”

Racing with Istanbul

The “Strategic Base on the Modern Silk Road: İzmir” conference, moderated by journalist Hakan Çelik, was held at İnciraltı Wyndham Hotel. Turkey's Yildirim said that in a region where three continents come together, at least Istanbul said it was so important in the global trade of Izmir determined as the strategic base of the modern Silk Road. Yıldırım said that Istanbul is the only province where Izmir will compete.

Nobody can hold

Yıldırım said that with the commissioning of ports in Nemrut Bay and Çandarlı, a maritime transport capacity above Turkey's capacity will be reached. Stating that the world's wealth center has now shifted to Africa, Far East, Pacific and Middle East countries, where development continues with a much higher acceleration, Yıldırım said, “As Turkey, we, the innkeepers, are all passengers. We need to know this. We saw this in 2002 and immediately started investing. We said that we need to deal with the east-west, north-south corridor without delay and we finished it. We did this on the road, we do it on the railway as well,” he said.

Pointing out that direct railway transportation between Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey is also a major shortcoming, Yıldırım said, “I know that it is not easy to achieve. When we entered this project as an excited minister, they said to us, 'You are dealing with things bigger than your height'. It was indeed difficult. We discussed the project for 4 years. We met with 4-5 ministers in Georgia. We finally started. We swam the job, we swam to the tail. It will be over. No more excuses. We will run trains from there next year. After connecting the İzmir-Ankara high-speed train line to the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars line, no one will be able to hold İzmir.”

Stating that the concept of strategic partnership should not be talked about, and that Azerbaijan and SOCAR did this best, Yıldırım said, “I especially thank SOCAR for making this investment in İzmir. Izmir is also becoming an energy and export base. ”

Train request from Mustafayev

Reminding that the historical Silk Road has shifted to the oceans, Yavuz also reminded that the Ottoman Empire was among the causes of the decline and collapse. “Our period of rise started with the revival of the historical Silk Road over us. Turkey has carried out a major infrastructure revolution. As the architect, with the addition of our Minister, with the addition of the Baku-Istanbul-Izmir highway, Izmir is becoming the base of the historical Silk Road. ” He also Turkey-Azerbaijan partnership and brotherhood with Turkey's largest real sector investments to the signature of the horse they are and refinery to spend an integrated production model implemented a $ 10 billion investment plan that voicing Yavuz, 2018 will also TANAP Project's completion, he said. TRACECA Azerbaijani National Secretary Akif Mustafayev thanked Yıldırım on behalf of the Azerbaijani people for their transportation investments by evaluating the possible effects of the modernization of the Silk Road on the Eurasian trade. Mustafayev stated that they tied their hopes to the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars train, which is expected to be completed in 2015, and conveyed their demands in this direction. HASEN General Secretary Haldun Yavaş, an independent think tank based in Istanbul, said that the Aegean port is the transportation hub to Europe on the Historical Silk Road.

HOW WILL THE PROJECT PROCESS AND WHAT TO GAIN IZMIR

• Izmir-Ankara high-speed train line will be connected to Baku-Tbilisi-Kars route
• This line will extend over the Caspian Sea to China
• Products arriving from Izmir ports to Europe will be transported to the Far East via this line
• The products coming to İzmir from the east by train will be taken to Europe via İzmir Ports.
• Expansion of ports and employment with new investments will increase Izmir will become an attraction center
• The infrastructure will be modernized and the increasing volume of people and trade in the region will also stimulate the service sector.