President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sent a video message to the International Road Federation (IRF) World Congress 2024, hosted by Türkiye.
President Erdoğan expressed his gratitude to those who contributed to the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure-led organisation and the international participants.
President Erdoğan praised the International Road Federation for its efforts to promote safer and more sustainable road networks since 1948 and also expressed confidence that the Congress, which brings together industry leaders, public institutions, and private organisations, will be productive this year.
Erdoğan noted that the theme of this year's Congress, "Connecting to Empower Mobility: Roads as Enablers of a Sustainable Future for All," is pertinent and continued by saying:
"Since in our view of politics, the road is civilisation. Roads mean transportation, industry, production, tourism, trade, safety, development, and integration with the world. With this understanding, we have made great strides and elevated our country to an ambitious level in the field of transportation and infrastructure. We have completed numerous projects, including the Eurasia Tunnel, the Sabuncubeli Tunnel, the Erkenek Tunnel, the Ilgaz July 15 Independence Tunnel, the Ovit Tunnel, and the Cankurtaran Tunnel. The Yavuz Sultan Selim and 1915 Çanakkale Bridges have become national symbols of pride. Our initiatives, including the Black Sea Coastal Road, the Northern Marmara Motorway, and the Istanbul-Izmir Motorway, have fortified the economic, logistical, human, and commercial connections between our cities."
President Erdoğan emphasised Türkiye's extensive highway network (approximately 4,000 kilometres) and divided road network (approximately 30,000 kilometres), and said, "We will continue our investments and initiatives in the realm of transportation with the slogan 'we will continue to move forward without stopping'. Our objective is to extend the length of our divided roads to more than 38,000 kilometres and our highways to more than 8,300 kilometres by 2053."