Minister Uraloğlu: “Those who are pawns of external forces are turning brother against brother.”

Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu stated, “Unfortunately, we see that those who are pawns of external forces are turning brothers against each other. They are trying to destroy free and strong Turkey, which is almost the last bastion of our geography besieged by bloodthirsty terrorist organizations. Why? Because Turkey not only does not hesitate to defend its rights, but also strives for the oppressed.”

Minister Uraloğlu, who arrived in Van in the morning, attended the 8th Ordinary Congress of the AK Party’s Başkale District Presidency. Speaking to party members here, Minister Uraloğlu expressed, “I am very pleased to be together with you in Başkale, one of the paradise corners of our country, with its rich history, rich culture and traditions, and its unique beauty of Lake Van, on the occasion of our 8th Ordinary District Congress. I hope our congress will be beneficial for our party, our district, our city, and our country, and I greet you with affection. I thank all my friends who have served in our provincial and district organizations in Van since its establishment for their efforts and labor, and I pray to the Almighty God for mercy on all our brothers who have passed away. Our congresses are distinguished societies that increase the goals of renewal and rejuvenation along with the founding principles of our party and develop brotherhood, unity, and solidarity. We all set out on this path with the love of faith and homeland in our hearts. Now, we continue again with our District President Mr. Sercan Bayer. I thank him for the determination and dedication he has shown in his efforts so far. I wish success to the management that will take office together with him in their duties right away.”

Minister Uraloğlu, stating that Van has been a very important city throughout history, noted, “It has been the capital of many civilizations like the Urartians.” He continued:

“It has been a center of knowledge and commerce, and culture. For centuries, we have lived our differences together in peace in Van. Because in our culture and traditions, there is respect and tolerance for other beliefs.

However, unfortunately, we see that those who are pawns of external forces are turning brothers against each other. They are trying to destroy free and strong Turkey, which is almost the last bastion of our geography besieged by bloodthirsty terrorist organizations. Why? Because Turkey not only does not hesitate to defend its rights, but also strives for the oppressed. It becomes the voice of all oppressed people, such as the Palestinians, Syrians, Rohingyas… As Abdulhakim Arvasi, one of Van’s greatest spiritual patrons, said, “The cause of the spiritual illnesses in society is the lack of faith.” As the AK Party governments under the leadership of our President, we have worked hard to develop Van with new projects, investments, and services. We have always been by the side of Van. In addressing the century-old neglect of this ancient city, in meeting its needs, and in taking steps towards democracy and development that our people deserve, we have always stood shoulder to shoulder with Van.”

Stating that they work in every mode of transportation and communication as the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, Minister Uraloğlu said, “We are building roads, opening tunnels, constructing bridges, and airports… Unfortunately, in our construction sites at Tendürek Pass, Çatak-Şırnak, and Van-Hakkari, they burned our machinery in the raids carried out in 2017, and 4 of our brothers were martyred. But thank God, we have not given up until today, and we will not give up from now on. We will continue to produce new projects and serve every corner of our country. God willing, shortly after we leave here, we will open the west tube of our 3,150-meter-long double-tube Güzeldere Tunnel, which will serve between Güzelsu and Başkale on the Van-Hakkari route to two-way traffic. We have made the route more comfortable by passing through the 9-kilometer 32 bends at the Başkale Güzeldere Pass with a 4-kilometer variant and the Güzeldere Tunnel. By lowering the existing road level, where heavy snow fighting is carried out and transportation is difficult, from 2,730 meters to 230 meters, we have enabled traffic to flow much more safely and comfortably. Now, the harsh winter conditions will not adversely affect the daily lives of our regional people and the drivers using the road. On this occasion, I invite you all to our opening ceremony,” he said.

Minister Uraloğlu stated that the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure has invested 69 billion 25 million lira in Van over the past 22 years, “We have increased the length of divided roads from 36 kilometers to 602 kilometers. There was not even one kilometer of Hot Bituminous Coating on the roads; we have done 358 kilometers of BSK coating. We have constructed important routes such as Van Edremit-Gevaş-Bitlis, Eciş-Patnos, Van-Güzelsu, Erciş-Muradiye-Çaldıran, and Van-Özalp-Saray-Kapıköy as divided roads. We have completed the Kale, İki Nisan, Erciş Industry, Van Regional Research Hospital, Edremit Regional Campus, and Karahan Bridge Junctions. We have opened the Kuskunkıran Tunnel, Karabet Kar, and Çatak Avalanche Tunnels. We have also completed the restoration works of the Hoşap, Şeytan, Kırmızı, Bend-i Mahi, and Kelekom Historical Bridges. Additionally, as of today, we are continuing 8 highway projects, including the Van Ring Road, with a project cost of 16 billion 192 million lira, as well as the Adilcevaz-Erciş Road. Our investments in Van are certainly not limited to highways. We have worked to ensure that Lake Van contributes more economically to our city. The transportation over Lake Van and the railway connection between Tatvan and Van was provided by 4 ferries operated by TCDD, which were manufactured between 1971 and 1976. By putting the Sultan Alparslan and İdris-i Bitlisi ferries into service, we have increased the cargo transport capacity by 7 times, carrying 10,500 tons of cargo daily with 2 new ferries, each with a capacity of 50 wagons. We have also reduced the travel time between Tatvan and Van from 5 hours with old ferries to 3.5 hours. We renovated Van Ferit Melen Airport and turned it into an airport that meets the needs of the era. We have increased the annual passenger capacity to 2.5 million passengers. Today, from our airport, there are 96 flights to 6 different locations, including Istanbul, Sabiha Gökçen, Esenboğa, Izmir, Çukurova, and Antalya Airports, with 4 airlines operating on domestic routes weekly. In 2023, approximately 1 million 550 thousand passengers flew from our airport. By the end of October 2024, we expect an increase of about 5% in passenger numbers compared to the same period last year, exceeding 1 million 361 thousand passengers. Everything we do in terms of service, every step we take, and every effort we put forth is for our people… If we are bringing roads to the villages of Van that lack proper roads, if we are providing drinking water to villages that do not have it, if we are building schools, it is to make the hearts of our people happy. We will open their schools, we will build their roads, and we will address whatever deficiencies you have. It has been like this for 22 years, and it will continue to be so. With these thoughts, I wish our congress to bring goodness to our political life, our country, our party, and to you, our valued comrades in arms, and I wish success to Mr. Sercan Bayer and all his friends who will walk with him.”