Rize İyidere Logistics Center Master Plan Information Meeting organized by the Eastern Black Sea Development Agency (DOKA) was held at the Rize Commodity Exchange.
The meeting was attended by Rize Governor İhsan Selim Baydaş, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University President Prof. Dr. Yusuf Yılmaz, Deputy Governor Murat Öztürk, İyidere District Governor Eray Gürsoy, İyidere Mayor Saffet Mete, Rize Deputy Mayor Ahmet Murat Taviloğlu, Rize Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Şaban Aziz Karamehmetoğlu, DOKA Rize Provincial Coordinator Berna Kiriş Turna, RTEU International Trade and Logistics Department academicians and business people.
At the meeting, Logistics Management Consultant Atilla Yıldıztekin presented the İyidere Logistics Center Master Plan to the participants. In the presentation, detailed information was shared under many headings such as “Why Rize?”, global, EU and national logistics strategies, current situation analysis, investment demand analysis and units to be located in the logistics center.
“It is time for economic and infrastructure preparations”
Speaking at the meeting, Rize Governor İhsan Selim Baydaş emphasized that the project, which will be Türkiye's 4th largest logistics port, should be planned not only physically but also economically and infrastructurally, and said, "We have come to a process where we have come from intellectual preparations to physical preparations. The next stage is economic and infrastructure preparations. In the Logistics Port project, which has been on our agenda for about two years, we must now move beyond construction and bring the agenda to the physical location of the logistics center. We must discuss what we need to do for this. For this, the entire city needs to support this issue."
“Rail and Road Connections Are of Vital Importance”
Governor Baydaş stated that it is essential to provide railway and highway connections for the port to become a real logistics center and said, “Connecting the railway line coming from Erzurum to İyidere is an important step that will make this project qualified. This connection is integrated with the Development Road Project put forward by the vision of our President. This road is a strategic project that will connect the Middle East to the world and the gateway to the Black Sea should be İyidere Logistics Port.”
Touching on the importance of highway infrastructure, Baydaş emphasized that the arrangement of existing junctions and the completion of the İkizdere line and the Ovit, Kırık and Dallıkavak Tunnels are of great importance.
“We Must Determine the Common Vision by the End of 2026”
Emphasizing the importance of planning a logistics center that can feed a logistics port, Governor Baydaş stated that İyidere Valley, which was previously planned as an Industrial Development Zone for the logistics center that will be located behind the logistics port, has great potential, and said, “We need to determine a common vision by the end of 2026 with everyone who thinks about this issue in this city, has an idea, and wants to contribute. If we do not do these infrastructure plans correctly, all we will have is a large port. However, the state mind acts by calculating not only the physical structure, but also its operation, transportation networks, depth and which ships can dock.”
Baydaş stated that this process will not be limited to just one meeting, that they will continue to hold consultation meetings in the future and that this issue should become one of the main agenda items of Rize.
Other participants at the meeting also conveyed their opinions and suggestions and stated the importance of İyidere Logistics Port for Rize.
