Drawing attention to the importance of Türkiye's geographical location, Minister Uraloğlu stated that the country is located at the center of 4 countries with a four-hour flight and that approximately 67 billion people live in this region. He stated that the region has a gross national product of 51 trillion dollars and an annual trade volume of 25 trillion dollars.
Emphasizing the geostrategic importance of Türkiye, which is located on the route of the historical Silk Road, Uraloğlu explained the importance of projects such as the Middle Corridor and the Development Path. He stated that a cargo coming from China to Europe can reach the Suez Canal in 35 days, the Cape of Good Hope in 45 days, the Development Path in 25 days and the Middle Corridor in 18 days by rail.
Minister Uraloğlu, who provided information about the Development Road Corridor, said that the project would start from the FAV Port in the Persian Gulf of Iraq, enter Türkiye from Ovaköy and exit from Kapıkule. He emphasized that this road, which covers a route of approximately 2 kilometers, would also provide access to the Mediterranean, Aegean and Black Seas. Uraloğlu, who stated that the projects were completed and financing negotiations were ongoing, stated that Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Türkiye were closely following the project.
Minister Uraloğlu, who said that the Zangezur Corridor would also support the Middle Corridor, announced that work was ongoing in Azerbaijan and Türkiye and that the project was planned to be implemented within 3-4 years. He also reminded that Türkiye was a strategic partner in the Three Seas Initiative.
Highway and Highway Investments
Minister Uraloğlu stated that the length of divided roads, which was 2002 kilometers in 6, has exceeded 101 kilometers today, and said that only 29 provinces were connected to each other by divided roads, but today almost all provinces are connected to each other. He stated that the average intercity speed increased from 40 kilometers to 90 kilometers and the number of vehicles increased from 8,5 million to 32 million.
Uraloğlu stated that highway works have been completed on the busiest routes in Türkiye and that there are roads under construction in Istanbul, Çanakkale, Ankara, Antalya, Mersin and Hatay, and that the highway network will reach 8 kilometers, including those under construction, planned and project studies.
Touching on the importance of the Marmara Highway Ring, Minister Uraloğlu emphasized that the work on the Kınalı-Malkara section continues and that this project is critical for the entry of rescue and emergency aid teams into the city and the evacuation of people in the event of a possible earthquake in Istanbul.
Minister Uraloğlu stated that not only construction but also development was at the forefront in the works carried out, and said that many structures such as the 1915 Çanakkale, Osmangazi, Yavuz Sultan Selim bridges and the Zigana Tunnel received international awards.
Stating that they are working on a new highway project between Istanbul and Ankara, Uraloğlu announced that an alternative highway project going to Ankara via Akyazı-Beypazarı is planned, foreseeing that the current roads will be insufficient in the future.
Railway and Super Fast Train Project
Minister Uraloğlu, stating that the conventional railway network in Türkiye is 11 kilometers and 500 kilometers of high-speed railway network has been built, said that many railway constructions such as Mersin-Gaziantep, Ankara-İzmir, Bursa and İstanbul-Kapıkule are ongoing. He stated that the railway line will reach 2 kilometers with the ongoing construction, completed projects and ongoing projects.
Stating that they are working on a super-fast train project between Ankara and Istanbul, Uraloğlu explained that this train will travel at a speed of 350 kilometers per hour and travel time will be reduced to 80 minutes.
Stating that there are works on a railway project from Samsun to Sarp, Uraloğlu emphasized that it is a long-term project but Türkiye is a country that plans for the future.
Istanbul's Rail Systems and Metro Needs
Minister Uraloğlu stated that they provided approximately 162 kilometers of urban rail system to Istanbul, that the construction of the 26-kilometer line is continuing and that when these lines are completed, the length of Istanbul's rail system will reach 380-400 kilometers. He stated that a 4-kilometer metro line was needed to solve Istanbul's transportation problem, but the current administration was not making enough efforts in this regard.
Aviation and Communication Investments
Minister Uraloğlu stated that they increased the number of airports in Türkiye from 26 to 58, and that this number will reach 60 when the Bayburt-Gümüşhane and Yozgat airports are completed. He stated that the number of passengers, which was 2003 million in 34, exceeded 2024 million in 230 and that Istanbul Airport alone carried 80 million passengers.
Stating that the TÜRKSAT 6A satellite was put into service and can be reached to 5 billion people, Uraloğlu emphasized that security will increase in local and national civil and military communication.
He noted that 5G has been tested in stadiums and will be in general use in 2026.
Minister Uraloğlu, who stated that social media should be disciplined, announced that work was being done to protect young people and children from these platforms. He said that regulations would be made to require family permission for young people between the ages of 13-16 to use social media and to ban those under the age of 13.
Touching on the importance of cyber security in the age of artificial intelligence, Uraloğlu stated that Türkiye is one of the role model countries in cyber security and that 17 million IP addresses are constantly scanned. He explained that hundreds of malicious attack attempts are prevented daily with USOM and protection against cyber attacks is provided with domestic software such as Avcı, Azad, Kasırga and Atmaca.
Investments in Istanbul and Future Projects
Stating that 1.7 trillion liras of investment was made in Istanbul during the AK Party governments, Minister Uraloğlu said that the Eurasia Tunnel, 15 July Martyrs Bridge, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge and Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge serve the daily heavy traffic flow. He emphasized that Marmaray carries 700 thousand passengers a day and if these investments are not made, Istanbul and Türkiye will be paralyzed.
The Altunizade-Çamlıca Mosque-Bosna Boulevard Line is targeted to be completed by the end of 2026, Halkalı-He announced that Kapıkule High Speed Train Line will be completed in stages. He stated that the highway between Nakkaş and Başakşehir will be put into service in approximately 2 years.
