Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu spoke at a panel held as part of the 87th Session of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNEC) Internal Transport Committee. Stating that creating alternative routes and diversifying transportation modes has become an inevitable priority, Minister Uraloğlu said, “By strengthening our transportation corridors, we will have made serious contributions to the promotion of sustainable development.” Uraloğlu also stated that the Development Road Project will create new investment opportunities.
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu spoke at a panel held in Geneva as part of the 87th Session of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNEC) Internal Transport Committee. Minister Uraloğlu, who also hosted the Ministerial Roundtable Meeting, stated that transport and logistics systems are the cornerstones of economic development and said, “A strong and integrated transport network not only facilitates trade, but also ensures a more equitable distribution of economic opportunities across regions and more inclusive growth.”
“In Today’s World, Creating Alternative Routes Has Become a Priority”
Minister Uraloğlu emphasized the fragility of transportation systems by pointing to the developments that have occurred on a global scale in recent years. Uraloğlu made the following statements in his statement:
“Developments such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the accident in the Suez Canal, the Russia-Ukraine war, security risks in the Red Sea and the drought in the Panama Canal have clearly shown how delicate the balances of transportation networks are and how even a single crisis can seriously disrupt global trade.”
Stating that these crises have reminded us once again that transportation corridors are not only an economic necessity but also a strategic necessity, Uraloğlu said, “In today’s world, creating alternative routes, diversifying transportation modes and making transportation networks more resilient have become an inevitable priority.”
“Increasing Land Transportation is Always a Need”
Minister Uraloğlu, who drew attention to the fact that maritime transportation has also increased with the increase in world trade, said, “However, interregional transportation over land has not increased at the same rate, therefore, increasing transportation over land is always a necessity. When we make this determination, we can foresee that it is not realistic to experience competition between transportation routes over land, and that even if the capacity on existing lines is increased and new routes are put into operation, there will be sufficient demand for all alternatives. From this point on, our focus should be on increasing the performance of the corridors. This should be the race we will be in.”
Minister Uraloğlu underlined that if the said situation is achieved, they will not only be part of a series of actions that will provide commercial benefits, and said, “By strengthening our transportation corridors, we will also make serious contributions to reducing economic inequalities between regions, facilitating access to markets for underdeveloped regions, and encouraging sustainable development.”
“Strong Regional Collaborations and Modernization Projects Are Required”
On the other hand, he said, “Advanced transportation connections connect remote areas to economic centers, ensuring a more balanced distribution of investments.” However, infrastructure differences, regulatory barriers and incompatibilities at border crossings prevent transportation systems from operating at full capacity. Strong regional cooperation, common standards and modernization projects are required to overcome these obstacles.
ITC 2030 Strategy Provides Concrete Roadmap for Transport Links
Minister Uraloğlu, explaining that the Internal Transportation Committee's (ITC) 2030 Strategy offers a concrete roadmap for the development of transportation connections, said, "Strengthening railway transportation, modernizing transportation infrastructures, expanding multimodal transportation systems and facilitating border crossings are among the main objectives of this strategy."
Noting that the international frameworks developed under the guidance of ITC also contribute to making transportation connections more effective, Uraloğlu concluded his words as follows:
“Just making infrastructure investments is not enough. In today’s world, digitalization, smart logistics and simplification of procedures at border crossings are vital to making transportation systems faster, more efficient and more sustainable. I would like to emphasize that in the upcoming process, transportation systems should not only be expanded, but also made more sustainable, safe and smart. This transformation can be achieved not only by improving physical infrastructure, but also by digitalization, multilateral cooperation and policy alignment. We need to work together to develop solutions to create a resilient, efficient and sustainable transportation system. The legal frameworks and policy recommendations presented by ITC and UNEC will be an important guide for our countries to achieve these goals.”
“Integrating the infrastructure into international logistics chains is also of great importance”
Minister Uraloğlu, who also answered questions at the Ministerial Roundtable Meeting, also shared Turkey's vision and work. Expressing that he thinks today's discussions will be an important guide in overcoming the obstacles to regional connectivity and strengthening integration, Uraloğlu said, "When we look at it from our country's perspective, Turkey is a country that is in direct contact with European, Asian and Middle Eastern countries with different regulatory frameworks and legal regimes."
He emphasized that the situation in question provides Turkey with many variables in cross-border transportation, and that this situation increases the possibility of disruptions arising from incompatibilities in regulations. Uraloğlu said, “The long duration of customs procedures, especially at border crossings, differences in infrastructure and the differences in digitalization levels in transportation from country to country are the main factors that make uninterrupted transportation difficult.”
Uraloğlu, who stated that their primary goal in order to overcome these difficulties is to ensure uninterrupted transportation by strengthening road and railway connections and to make border crossings more efficient, said, “The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway Line, the double-track high-speed railway project from the Anatolian side of Istanbul to the Bulgarian border, the Development Road Project from the Persian Gulf to Europe and the Kars-Nakhchivan Railway Project and the Zangezur connection are our strategic investments implemented in line with this goal. However, the integration of this infrastructure into international logistics chains is as important as the existence of the infrastructure.”
Underlining the importance of bilateral and multilateral cooperation in order to speed up customs procedures and reduce bureaucracy at border crossings, Uraloğlu said, “This impact is so great that in some regions, it is seen that the impact of infrastructure investments on the Gross National Product increases 4-5 times with border crossing and tariff arrangements. This is an undeniable impact. For this reason, we are continuously carrying out improvement studies on border crossings and tariffs with the countries in our region.”
“We Digitalized Permit Documents with Our E-Permit Project”
Uraloğlu stated that Turkey aims to increase the transportation and trade facilitation agreements with neighboring countries and to ensure harmonization in border crossings, and continued his words as follows:
“The regulatory instruments of the BMAEK also serve as a guide in this process. On the one hand, we are trying to increase our border crossing capacities by opening the second railway border gate on the Bulgaria-Turkey border. On the other hand, we are trying to make progress in areas such as digitalization and process automation, which offer great opportunities for faster and safer transportation. Digital systems such as e-TIR and e-CMR have accelerated processes for carriers, border authorities and customers by eliminating paper dependency. In addition, as Turkey, we have digitalized the permit documents used in international road transport with our e-Permit project and implemented our first application with Uzbekistan.”
Uraloğlu, who stated that common standards should be created for the adoption of these systems by all countries in the region, said, “At this point, regional collaborations such as the Trans-Caspian and Almaty-Tehran-Istanbul Corridor Coordination Committee in the working groups within the commission play a critical role in accelerating border crossings and ensuring regulatory harmonization. We will continue to support these efforts.”
Uraloğlu stated that it is not enough to make infrastructure investments alone to ensure uninterrupted cross-border transportation, and that supporting investments with regulatory frameworks, facilitating customs processes and expanding digital systems are of great importance. Uraloğlu underlined that as Turkey, they prioritize closer cooperation at both bilateral and regional levels to strengthen these mechanisms.
“We believe that the Development Path Project will create new investment opportunities”
Minister Uraloğlu, who also made statements about contributing to the economic progress of other regions, pointed out that investments in transportation infrastructure should not be limited to connecting only two points. Uraloğlu said that the main goal should be for transportation projects to support economic and social development by creating an ecosystem.
Uraloğlu stated that they believe that transportation connections not only provide commercial benefits but also support balanced development between different regions of Turkey, and added the following in his statement:
“Regional connectivity can integrate less developed regions into economic activities, making them a part of development. In this regard, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway Line and Kars Logistics Center are a critical example. These projects not only connect eastern Turkey with neighboring countries, but also increase the participation of Eastern Anatolian provinces in trade and business flows. Similarly, we believe that the Development Road Project will increase economic mobility in southeastern Turkey and create new investment opportunities.”
Stating that transportation corridors offer a great opportunity in terms of both regional development and increasing connectivity with neighboring countries, Uraloğlu said, “Well-planned transportation corridors can accelerate regional development by accelerating not only freight transportation but also direct investment and production processes.”
