In his speech at the opening ceremony of the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan pointed out that the bridge is a symbol of our country's great goals in terms of hosting the symbols of the Çanakkale victory and the founding of our Republic, and said, "The calculations made that this project will provide our economy with 5,3 billion euros in production, 118 thousand people in employment, It points out that it will have an additional contribution of 2,4 billion Euros in national income.” said.
In his speech at the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge and Malkara-Çanakkale Highway Opening Ceremony, President Erdoğan attended to the participants on the historical day: “Your enthusiasm is our enthusiasm and I believe your interest expresses in the best way what this work that we are inaugurating today means.” saluted with his words.
Explaining that today they first went to Çanakkale martyrs, recited Fatiha and commemorated them, President Erdoğan continued as follows:
“What does the poet say? 'If you are buried in the ashes, you will overflow/ Alas, these horizons will not come to you, this jihad will not take you / O martyr son of martyr, do not ask me for makber / The Prophet seems to have opened his eyes to you.' Yes, we are working and struggling to be worthy of our fellow martyrs of the Prophet. We dedicate the 107 Çanakkale Bridge, which we dedicated to the cherished memories of our martyrs, to the glorious victory of our ancestors 1915 years ago, for the sake of a crescent, O Lord, to the setting suns, to an ancestor who is as glorious as the lions of Bedrin and too great to be buried in history. You know, we always say to build a bridge from the past to the horse, today we are putting this word into practice both in word and spirit.”
“1915 Çanakkale Bridge has different meanings with each technical feature”
Wishing the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge to be beneficial to Turkey, the nation, Çanakkale and all humanity, President Erdoğan continued his speech as follows:
“This bridge is just like the 15th of July Martyrs Bridge, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, Marmaray, Eurasia Tunnel in the Bosphorus and now we are opening the sixth bridge here, especially in Çanakkale. But remember, 140 years ago, Sultan Abdulhamid Han had made the sketches of those bridges that I have just mentioned, and he had made the preparations. It was our privilege to realize some of these projects, which are the heirlooms of Abdulhamid Han, which could not be realized due to the wars that the Ottomans went through one after the other.”
Stating that the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge has different meanings with each of its technical features, President Erdoğan said that it is now their privilege to open it as the People's Alliance.
“The year 1915, at the beginning of our bridge's name, was the year we won the naval victory in Çanakkale, the scene of the bloodiest, most exemplary and fiercest struggles of the First World War; The tower height of 318 meters means the 18th of March. 3, March, 18, today. Therefore, if the length of the middle span is 2023 meters, it is the symbol of 100, the 2023th anniversary of the founding of our Republic, and of our great goals that we attribute to that date.”
In his speech at the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge and Malkara-Çanakkale Highway Opening Ceremony, President Erdoğan said that "Çanakkale is impassable" during the Crusader-Crescent struggle a century ago. He emphasized that he embroidered his word with his blood and made history with the hennaed lambs of his ancestors under the presidency of Gazi Mustafa Kemal.
Stating that they are here today as the grandchildren of those who fought in Çanakkale, President Erdoğan said, “But today we are taking another step. Here we are, 18 March, opening the Çanakkale Bridge. With this bridge we have built, we have re-inscribed the legacy of our ancestors into history with the same message, the possibilities of engineering and technology.” used the phrases.
Reminding that there were wars in Korea in the past, martyrs were lost there, and the graves of some of them are still there, President Erdoğan said: “When we go to Korea, we always visit that cemetery. And these are no ordinary occurrences. These are love, and love is when one loves, it disappears. Here are the steps we are taking together with Korea, I hope we will increase our trade volume to 20 billion dollars as soon as possible. And with their investments, we are taking our steps with this solidarity on our bridges. We have shown to friends and foes that there is nothing that Turkey cannot achieve when the Turkish nation wishes.” he said.
Pointing out that he is undoubtedly not talking about this bridge alone, President Erdoğan said, “We have a giant transportation project that will connect Istanbul to Tekirdağ and to Balıkesir via Çanakkale. Today, together with the bridge, we are opening the 101 kilometer highway from Malkara to Çanakkale. The one who knows the business is the one who wields the sword. On this road, which is one of the busiest vehicle routes in Turkey, transportation between Lapseki and Gallipoli was provided by ferries. This was a place where ferry lines were expected for hours, and then a 1,5-hour journey across the road. Now the same journey will be completed in just 1915 minutes over the 6 Çanakkale Bridge. From where to where." said.
“We are inaugurating a work of pride for our nation”
Stating that they laid the foundation of the bridge on March 4, 18 years ago, President Erdoğan said:
“Our companies rolled up their sleeves together with their South Korean business partners and made our bridge ready for today's opening, which is the date we promised, with the day and night work of over 5 thousand personnel and 740 construction machines. I don't know if there is any other country in the world that can complete such a gigantic work in such a short time. In terms of its middle span, Turkey left Japan behind, which has the longest bridge in the world, and ranked first in this field. Of course, I would like to remind you that 10 of the top 3 bridges in the world in terms of mid-span length are in our country. The part of our highway project that surrounds Marmara with its highways, bridges and tunnels, which we will open today, has an investment value of 2,5 billion Euros. So, what will this 2,5 billion euro investment bring us? Do you know how much our country will gain annually from time, fuel consumption and carbon emission reduction with this investment? 415 million euros. Is the ease, comfort and peace of mind of a safe, comfortable and fast travel between our cities valued? Calculations indicate that this project will make an additional contribution of 5,3 billion euros in production, 118 thousand people to employment and 2,4 billion euros in national income. In short, no matter how you look at it, we are inaugurating a work that is a source of gain for our country and a source of pride for our nation.”
Thanking everyone from the ministry to the companies, from the engineers to the workers, who contributed to the bringing of the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge to the country, from its project to its financing, from its construction to its operation, President Erdoğan said, “Now, the cherished memories of our Çanakkale martyrs are commemorated not only on tombstones, not only in monuments, not only in museums, but also in the entirety of this monumental work. We will keep it alive on the Bosphorus with its splendor. I once again commemorate all our martyrs who entrusted us with this country at the cost of their lives, with mercy, gratitude and gratitude.” said.
President Erdogan said:
“We rank 3rd in Europe and 13th in the world in terms of public-private partnership model performance. For example, Germany has built a highway project based on public-private cooperation of 4 billion dollars in the last 15 years. A significant part of the 1,5 trillion dollar infrastructure projects announced by the USA will be realized with this model. Public-private cooperation projects are also common in Asian and Middle Eastern countries. With this method, Turkey has realized an investment of 20 billion dollars in the last 37,5 years only in the transportation sector. In other words, it has achieved this by bringing it from outside, not from our own safe. Do you know what is the contribution of the projects we have done in this period to our national income? 395 billion dollars. Its contribution to production is 838 billion dollars, its contribution to employment is 1 million people. If we were left to make the same investments with only budgetary resources, we would have to wait for decades.”
Stating that they have divided the investments they have made in their programs into two as those to be done with the budget and public-private cooperation, President Erdoğan said that they followed a path that will provide the country with the most service in the shortest time possible.
“The late Arif Nihat said, 'If one of us does not consent to be a bridge, we will wait on the shores of this water until the end of the day.' We have built works that will answer your reproach. The late Cemil Meriç's 'There are sentences that separate continents from each other / There are sentences that bridge the abyss.' Inspired by his word, we united the continents and brought hearts closer. thank God. In particular, we completed strategically important high-budget projects like this one in a short time with public-private cooperation and put them into service. We are planning to realize a significant part of the infrastructure projects in our 2053 vision, whose master plan preparations are ongoing, with the same model. When we look at the public-private cooperation investments in the fields of airline, road and maritime, we see that we will reach a breakeven point in 2024 and that we will provide a very serious cash flow to the public as of 2025. Our giant projects such as Istanbul Airport, Istanbul-Izmir Highway, Osmangazi Bridge, Northern Marmara Highway and Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, Eurasia Tunnel, Ankara-Niğde Highway, Malkara-Çanakkale Highway and 1915 Çanakkale Bridge are development works that provide added value to our country and income to our budget. They have taken their place in our history.”
“Istanbul Airport has brought 22 million Euros additional revenue to the public in its first year”
Expressing that he plans to explain the investment and maintenance costs, guarantees and benefits they will provide to the state for each of these public-private cooperation projects, President Erdoğan said:
“However, in order not to keep you waiting for a long time in this cold weather, I just want to say this; Turkey has completed its long-term investments in a short time by developing this model with the lessons it took from the periods when only her grandson could see the end of the work that her father laid the foundations of. These works, which started to transfer resources to the public even during the guaranteed operation period, will continue to provide profit to the state for many years afterwards. For example, Istanbul Airport, which was completed with an investment of 10 billion Euros without leaving a single penny from the budget and employed 200 thousand people, exceeded the number of guaranteed passengers in its first year and brought an additional income of 22 million Euros to the public.”
Emphasizing that despite the 170 percent increase in vehicle traffic on the divided roads and highways, the accidents were reduced by 80 percent, noting that people serve not only the safety of property but also life, President Erdogan said:
“To put it simply, with this model, we offer projects that we cannot do with cash in advance, and that will take a long time to complete with budget opportunities, in a short time and in installments. This is how we build hospitals, this is how we built roads, and we will continue to do so. In addition to the time, fuel and emission gains they provide, these projects provide very important support to the development of Turkey with the economic and social momentum they cause in the regions where they are implemented. In this period when the global economic system has been reorganized, these projects have a great share in our country's coming to the forefront with its investment, manpower, production and export potential. Just ask those who oppose this model what proposals they have for investing in the country's development.”
In his speech, President Erdoğan said, “One nation, one flag, one homeland, one state, we will be one, we will be big, we will be alive, we will be brothers, we will all be Turkey together. I congratulate once again my ministers, institutions, contractors and operators, and employees who have contributed to the bringing of this new monument of Çanakkale to our country.” he finished.
Bridge crossing will be free for 1 week
Announcing the bridge crossing price after his speech at the ceremony, President Erdoğan said, “Mr. Minister gave a price. But of course, we have determined the price related to automobile passes as 200 liras. The price is 200 lira. Is it expensive? But from here you know the tolls of the ferries. You know the expectations. 1 week free now. 200 lira after that. Because you know, the build-operate-transfer and contractor company, if the monthly and annual price here is against it, who will pay the difference? We will pay it from the state's coffers." he said.
President Erdoğan passed the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge in his official vehicle and arrived at the opening area on the Gallipoli side of the bridge.
After his speech, President Erdoğan invited the guests who attended the ceremony to the podium. Prayer was read before the ribbon cutting. Speaking after the prayer, President Erdoğan said, “As I said for a week, it is free, after that, the passes are 200 liras... We made our prayer and now all the politicians and the contractor companies that contributed here are cutting the ribbon together. The scissors remain with them in memory of this day.” he said, and realized the opening of the bridge together with the protocol.
At the ceremony, Özdemir, Chairman of the Board of Directors of LİMAK Holding, presented the model of the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge and the bolt of the bridge to President Erdoğan and South Korean Prime Minister Kim Boo-Kyum in memory of the day.
Meanwhile, after the ribbon cutting, Turkish Stars performed a demonstration flight.
After the ceremony, President Erdoğan went from Gallipoli to Lapseki by crossing the bridge in the official vehicle used by the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Karaismailoğlu.
“Turkey will further develop as an international logistics center”
Speaking at the opening ceremony, South Korean Prime Minister Kim Boo-Kyum drew attention to the strategic importance of the bridge and said, “As the main artery of the Turkish economy, the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge will contribute greatly to the increase in human and freight transportation. Thanks to this bridge, Turkey will further develop as an international logistics center connecting Europe and the Middle East, and Northern Europe and Central Asia.” said.
Emphasizing that the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge has a special meaning for both countries as it is a bridge built together by two brotherly countries with blood ties, Turkey and South Korea, Kim said, “During the Korean War in 1950, there were not even diplomatic relations between our countries. Despite this, thousands of Turkish soldiers traveled long distances from one end of the Asian continent to the other to help the Republic of Korea, which was in a difficult situation. The Korean people have never forgotten this fact. Thank you again.” used the phrase.
A historical promise that strengthens the ties between the two countries
Stating that his country took part in the construction of the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge with Turkey this time, after the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge and the Eurasia Tunnel, Kim said, “So this bridge has been a historical promise to make the ties between our countries even stronger in the future.” said.
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