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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.
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.
Uraloglu used the conference platform to present Türkiye as an indispensable node in the global logistics network. He pointed to more than $355 billion in transport and communications investments made over the past 23 years, and described the country as a "geostrategic island of trust" whose diplomatic posture and crisis-management capacity have elevated it beyond its geographic position.
"Transport stands out as one of the fundamental pillars not only of economic development but also of humanitarian solidarity and comprehensive resilience against crises," Uraloglu told delegates.
He highlighted two flagship corridor initiatives. The Middle Corridor, running between Asia and Europe, was presented as one of the shortest, safest and most cost-effective routes available. The Development Road Project, meanwhile, aims to establish a new east-west and north-south connection running from the Persian Gulf through Türkiye to Europe via uninterrupted road and rail links, with the goal of cutting transit times and costs.
Uraloglu framed these projects in cooperative rather than competitive terms, arguing that corridor diversification would benefit the entire OIC geography by deepening its integration into the global trading system.
Looking ahead, Uraloglu proposed the establishment of a Land Transport Center under the OIC umbrella, to be hosted by Türkiye, building on a recommendation from the 1987 conference. He called for the necessary documentation to be prepared in coordination with the OIC General Secretariat and presented at the third ministerial conference, scheduled for 2028.
In his closing address, Uraloglu said he was encouraged by the shared understanding among delegates that transport connectivity extends well beyond technical infrastructure into economic development, trade facilitation, crisis resilience and solidarity among nations. Türkiye will hold the rotating conference chairmanship for the next two years, and Uraloglu pledged to personally oversee implementation of the decisions taken.
The conference also directed attention to Africa, where Türkiye signed cooperation memoranda with seven African nations at a Global Transport Corridors Forum in Istanbul last year. Uraloglu said Türkiye stands ready to offer technical support for transformative projects, including the Dakar-Port Sudan Railway.
On the Palestinian question, Uraloglu called on fellow transport ministers to support the strengthening of Palestinian transport infrastructure and its integration into regional networks. After his closing remarks, he told a Palestinian delegate: "Whatever we can do for Palestine. We will continue to stand behind you to the end."
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