The Development Road project could serve as an “antidote” to the current crisis around the Strait of Hormuz by offering Gulf countries an alternative transport and energy route, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu has told daily Hürriyet.
“The deadlock over Hormuz has once again shown the strategic importance of the Development Road project, which we have focused on for years,” Uraloğlu said.
Recent developments have given Gulf countries a new perspective on alternative transport policies, he said, arguing that the strait would not be discussed so intensely today if the Development Road were already operational.
“With our efforts and the willingness and enthusiasm of the Gulf countries, a new process will begin,” he said.
Uraloğlu said the project had initially been considered mainly as a road and railway corridor, but its possible role as an energy transmission route had become more visible.
“The Gulf countries have painfully experienced the cost of being dependent on Hormuz. We are seeing signs that they now have a new view of this project,” he said.
“The Development Road will be a strategic antidote to such crises. From the beginning, we have treated it not as a conventional road but as a multilayered trade corridor.”
The Development Road is planned as a large-scale transport and logistics corridor linking the Gulf to Europe through Iraq and Türkiye.
“Our calculations are clear. This project has the potential to contribute at least $55 billion to the Turkish economy in its first 10 years,” he said. “Thousands of new jobs will be created and large logistics centers will be established.”
Work on the project’s financial management had been underway, Uraloğlu said, adding that he expected the process to accelerate.
“We are determined to turn the advantages of Türkiye’s geopolitical location into active and strategic transport policies,” he said.
