| Submit your comments on this article |
| The Grand Turk |
| OIC transport ministers meet in Istanbul, eyeing Gulf-to-Europe rail links |
| 2026-02-15 |
| Silk Railroad? [TurkiyeToday] Transport ministers from across the Islamic world gathered in Istanbul this weekend for the first time in nearly four decades, laying the groundwork for an ambitious network of rail and highway corridors stretching from the Persian Gulf to Europe and across the African continent. The second Conference of Transport and Communications Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, chaired by Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu, brought together officials from OIC member states for two days of talks on regional connectivity, supply chain resilience and humanitarian logistics. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed the gathering by video message. The conference came 38 years after the OIC's inaugural transport ministers' meeting, also held in Istanbul, in Sept. 1987. SYRIA, SAUDI ARABIA AND TÜRKIYE EXPLORE FOUR-NATION RAIL LINK On the sidelines of the conference, Syrian Transport Minister Yarub Badr held separate bilateral meetings with his Saudi and Turkish counterparts, advancing plans for a proposed railway connecting Türkiye, Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. In his talks with Saudi Transport Minister Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, Badr discussed strengthening cooperation in land transport and prospects for integrating railway and highway networks to facilitate the movement of goods between Europe and the Gulf. The two sides agreed to hold a technical meeting of Saudi transport officials next month to continue the discussions. Al-Jasser also welcomed Syria's decision to reopen its airspace to Saudi aircraft, calling it a positive step toward stronger bilateral ties. During his meeting with Uraloglu, Badr discussed regional transport coordination, with both sides emphasizing the need for a clear roadmap that sets out technical standards, timelines and implementation mechanisms for the proposed four-nation rail link. |
| Posted by:Skidmark |