Türkiye, North Macedonia eye strategic transport corridor expansion

Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said on Friday that Ankara has invested $355 billion in transportation infrastructure over the past 23 years, telling a business forum in Istanbul attended by North Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski that historical ties between the two countries are reaching higher levels through strategic corridor development.

Strategic infrastructure cooperation

Speaking at an event organized by Türkiye's Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK), Uraloglu stressed that wars in the region have highlighted the urgent need to develop alternative transport corridors. "We estimate that this will contribute $2 trillion to the national economy over the next 10 years, through this initiative, we are also contributing to the employment of 1.2 million people annually," he noted, referring to the infrastructure investments.

The minister highlighted a cooperation agreement between the Turkish State Railways and the North Macedonian Railway Infrastructure Agency (PERI), saying it would significantly enhance mutual cooperation. "We are situated at a highly strategic point connecting Europe and Asia, therefore, we are gradually increasing these transit points day by day," he said, adding that Ankara is ready to share all its expertise with Skopje.

Development Road Corridor

Uraloglu noted that for the railway line passing through the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge in Istanbul—approximately 120 kilometers—Türkiye secured a $6.75 billion loan from six international institutions led by the World Bank. "We are also working on a corridor originating from the Gulf region, the Development Road Corridor," he said. "If we had completed this corridor today, we wouldn't have had the Strait of Hormuz dominate the global agenda to such an extent due to traffic from Iraq."

Skopje's corridor investments

North Macedonian Government General Secretary Igor Janushev stated that Skopje planned to invest €5.5 billion ($6.4 billion) in infrastructure over the next five to seven years, having signed a strategic partnership agreement with the UK to finance these projects. He announced that North Macedonia would publish a €450 million tender for the third section of Corridor 8 together with the European Investment Bank and the EU in two to three weeks, noting that Turkish companies have played an active role in railway and highway projects in the country.