DEIK IS TURKIYE’S GUIDE IN GLOBAL TRADE

DEİK, which has made Türkiye a strong, connected, and reliable player in global trade, serves as an inspiring bridge to the future

A Turkish proverb says: “No one is rich enough not to need their neighbor.”

In today’s world, the fundamental dynamics of the modern economy are multinational production, financial flows, and the enormous volume of international trade. No country can now survive by closing its doors and turning its back on global developments.

Everyone has flavors to add to the cake and a share to take from it. In this era of “win-win,” the transportation sector is the most important dynamo of economic cooperation.

As the Turkic States, with our young and dynamic population of 170 million and an economic size exceeding $1 trillion, we have the potential to be a global power. To realize this potential, we must demonstrate our collective strength with a will for cooperation and solidarity. For 40 years, DEIK has been a pioneer of this vision, successfully representing the Turkish business world on the global stage. Throughout this process, Türkiye’s major projects in transportation and infrastructure have been the greatest supporters of DEIK’s international cooperation.

Our Ministry is steadfastly continuing its infrastructure invest ments to facilitate Turkish businesspeople’s access to global markets. Over the past 23 years, we have invested approximately $300 billion in transportation and communications infrastructure. These investments have generated an economic contribution of $1 trillion 65 billion and created an average of 1 million 24 thousand jobs annually.

Our projects that strengthen cooperation among Turkic States are also concrete steps toward this vision. For example, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway has become a strategic line connecting Asia and Europe as the backbone of the Middle Corridor. Currently, approximately 5% of cargo traveling from China to Europe is transported via the Middle Corridor. Our goal is to increase this ratio to 30%. Recently, we launched the construction of the Kars-Iğdır-Aralık-Dilucu Railway Line, which will be the most important leg of the Zengezur Corridor, uniting Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Armenia, thereby strengthening regional peace and economic cooperation. With this project, we have opened the door to an era of prosperity throughout the South Caucasus. Undoubtedly, this line, with its 224-kilometer length, 5.5 million passenger capacity, and 15-million-ton cargo capacity, will breathe new life into global trade.

As Türkiye, we are continuing our planning not only on the east-west route but also on the north-south axis.

With the Development Corridor Project, we will con nect the Persian Gulf to Europe via Türkiye as a new generation trade corridor stretching from Iraq’s Faw Port to Europe. With this historic project signed with Iraq, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, we will once again demonstrate Türkiye’s role in suppor ting peace and prosperity by providing seamless connectivity between the Middle East and Europe. We believe that the time has long come for the Turkish States to adopt an attitude that facilitates and encourages trade rather than hindering it. We believe that we need to carefully re-examine our protectionist and closed policies from a different perspective. In this regard, as a country that attaches great importance to digitalization in transportation and is a pioneer in applications such as e-TIR and e-transport documents, I would like to express that we are ready to share our experience with member countries that wish to do so. For example, the e-Permit system we have implemented with Uzbekistan facilitates international road transport by eliminating the requirement for carriers to wait for physical documents. Such applications are important steps that will encourage trade between Turkic States.

As we take these steps to further elevate our potential as a global power, we are proud to see DEIK shine as the Polaris of our business world throughout its 40-year global journey. With 153 Business Councils, DEIK is a pioneer of business diplomacy around the world. With its 93 founding organizations and members based on voluntary participation, it is the voice of Turkish businesspeople on the global stage and acts as a bridge carrying Türkiye’s economic vision to the world. DEIK’s maturity in business diplomacy and its global rise are a source of inspiration for all of us, and I believe that when this success story is combined with our Ministry’s transportation projects, it will further strengthen our power in global trade.

With these thoughts, I proudly celebrate the global successes of the Turkish business world on DEIK’s 40th anniversary. As the Ministry, we will continue our infrastructure projects without pause to increase the competitiveness of our business world in the international arena. With projects such as the Middle Corridor, Zangezur, and the Development Road, we will continue our vision of making Türkiye the center of global trade.

I believe that together, we will build a stronger, more connected, and more prosperous future. I wish DEIK many more 40 years and hope that our cooperation will be a source of inspiration on the path to peace and prosperity.