Minister Uraloğlu: First Damascus, then Aleppo Airport will be revived

Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu answered questions from journalists as part of the Special Session at the Türkiye Century Summit in Transport and Infrastructure. Minister Uraloğlu evaluated many issues from international projects to communication, from the support provided to Syria to the 16 age limit on social media.

At the Transportation and Infrastructure Summit of Turkey Century organized by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and Albayrak Media, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu answered questions from journalists within the scope of the Special Session. Minister Uraloğlu, who made statements on many issues from transportation to communication, conveyed the developments in Turkey in the last 23 years. Uraloğlu stated that they have invested approximately 290 billion liras in the transportation and infrastructure field since 2002. Uraloğlu said, “From divided highways to increasing the number of airports from 26 to 58, introducing high-speed train operations to our country; we have done and continue to do many things from maritime to communication, subscriber numbers, fast internet usage, and 5G.”

Minister Uraloğlu noted that they worked with Iraq, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates within the scope of the project and noted that the project phase was completed and they were focusing on management and financing models.

Support from Turkey to Syria

Minister Uraloğlu, who also made a statement about Syria, noted that Turkey supports Syria in transportation and infrastructure as well as in every field. Uraloğlu said, “We sent a delegation to Syria, Aleppo and Damascus airports just 10 days later. We made the necessary determinations. Turkish Airlines started to organize 3 flights a week there. There are conditions there where the pilot can land and take off completely according to visual conditions.”

First Damascus, then Aleppo Airport will rise

Uraloğlu explained that they initially made a program to renew radar systems and other electronic devices, and said, “Our friends are still there. First, we will revive Damascus and then Aleppo Airport. Some devices require a 6-month period to procure, but we immediately sent the ones we had and started their assembly.” Uraloğlu also stated that the necessary determinations were made for the highways, railways, ports and communications in Syria.

Istanbul needs a 1,400-kilometer metro line

Uraloğlu, who also made a statement about Istanbul's urban traffic, emphasized that the problem in question can only be solved underground. Minister Uraloğlu made the following statements in his statement:

“According to our study for Istanbul, there is a need for a 1,400-kilometer rail system. If national network connections are to be made, this is directly under the authority of our Ministry. The authority for lines other than this belongs to the relevant municipality. The relevant municipality brings that project to us and gets it approved. If the relevant municipality requests this from our Ministry, we get the necessary approval and do it. With this approach, we have provided Istanbul with approximately 162 kilometers of rail and metro lines so far.”

Uraloğlu, who also mentioned the ongoing projects between Istanbul Airport-Halkalı and Çamlıca Mosque-Bosna Boulevard, said, “When we complete these, Istanbul’s line will be 400 kilometers.” Uraloğlu also noted that there is no metro project that has not been approved by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure.

5G in Galatasaray and Trabzonspor stadiums

Minister Uraloğlu stated that they aim to receive signals throughout the country in 2026 by holding a tender for 5G this year. Noting that they aim to develop the localization of the technology in this process, Uraloğlu said, “We had given 5G trial licenses at 34 points. We recently added Galatasaray and Trabzonspor stadiums to this, making it 36.”

Uraloğlu, who stated that they have demonstrated their will to produce domestic satellites with TÜRKSAT 6A, said, “It increases the quality of television broadcasting and ensures that the 3.5 billion people we currently cover increase to 5 billion. We became one of the 11 satellite manufacturers in the world and we did it. Turkish engineers did it.”

"All social media platforms in Turkey have appointed representatives"

Uraloğlu also stated that there is currently over 580 thousand kilometers of fiber infrastructure in Turkey and noted that they aim to increase this to 800 thousand. Uraloğlu also responded to questions about the access bans imposed on some platforms, saying, “All social media platforms in Turkey have appointed representatives. All of them currently have an official person in charge. This is valuable but not enough. We especially need to do things right now to protect both our people and our youth. As you know, we are discussing the age of sixteen. Together with our Ministry of Family and Social Services and other ministries.”

Stating that they need to show a protective reflex for the society in general, but that they do not have a prohibitive mentality, Uraloğlu explained that they are working in line with the demands from the society.

Consensus reached at age 16

Uraloğlu, who also shared his evaluations about the sixteen-year age limit, stated that they determined the age limit based on the question of at what age an individual can more accurately evaluate disinformation and misinformation. Uraloğlu said, “We think that 16 is more accurate than 13. We have reached a general consensus on this point. The research conducted with families supports and finds 16 years old 79.4 percent of the time. We will make this regulation because it is a very valuable figure and hopefully we will implement it this year.”

Minister Uraloğlu also noted that age determination will be resolved through artificial intelligence without sharing personal information with social media platforms.