Turkey Leaps Forward in Global Logistics with Transport Corridors Forum

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu unveiled Turkey’s vision for global logistics at the Global Transport Corridors Forum in Istanbul. The forum, attended by representatives from 70 countries, showcased transformative projects like the Middle Corridor and Development Road that promise to reshape international trade.

Game-Changer: The Middle Corridor

Key highlights from Minister Uraloğlu’s presentation:

• Competitive edge: Twice as fast as sea routes and four times more economical than air transport

• Time savings: Cuts transit from 35 days (Suez) and 45 days (Cape of Good Hope) to under 15 days

• Economic impact: Annual capacity of 6.5 million tons with $75 billion trade potential

• Infrastructure: Supported by 651 km of active railway projects and 1,394 km of planned routes

President Erdoğan emphasized: “The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars line connects 21 countries – this is the modern Silk Road,” underscoring the project’s historic significance.

Turkey’s Transportation Revolution

AK Party era investments:

• $293.5 billion total (Roads: $177B, Rail: $64B, Air: $25B, Maritime: $4B, Communications: $25B)

• Transformational results:

  • Divided highways: 6,101 km → 29,742 km

  • Expressways: 1,714 km → 3,796 km

  • High-speed rail: From zero to 2,251 km network

  • Airports: 26 → 58

Erdoğan referenced opposition criticism: “Despite claims like ‘Will we eat roads?’, we built landmarks like the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge.“

Development Road: Regional Prosperity

• Route: Persian Gulf → Iraq (Faw Port) → Turkey → Europe

• Goal: Integrating Iraq with European markets

• Projections: $50 billion economic impact over 10 years, creating 63,000 jobs annually

Geostrategic Advantage

• 4-hour flight access to 67 countries (1.5 billion people)

• Regional GDP footprint: $51.2 trillion

• Istanbul Airport record: 32 million passengers in first 5 months of 2026

Forum Objectives

• Cross-border coordination

• Digitalization and smart logistics

• Multimodal transport integration

• Roundtables with Middle Corridor nations

President Erdoğan’s message: “Our transport investments uplift not just Turkey but the entire region. This forum marks the beginning of new global partnerships.“

Participants: Minister Uraloğlu, Energy Minister Bayraktar, Turkic States Organization representatives, and experts from 70 nations.

The Bottom Line: Through the Middle Corridor and Development Road, Turkey positions itself at the heart of global trade while launching a new era of infrastructure excellence and regional integration – with this forum serving as its boldest international declaration yet.