AA / Ankara / Alex Sinhan Bogmis
Turkish authorities announced on Wednesday that they are considering starting the development road project, which aims to connect Iraq to Europe via Türkiye, in 2025.
“Preparations for the development road are nearing completion, we are discussing its financing. We are planning to start in 2025,” Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu told Anadolu.
The project includes rail and road lines starting from the port of Al-Faw in Basra, southern Iraq, and passing through Diwaniya, Najaf, Karbala, Baghdad and Mosul. It is expected to provide access to the port of Mersin (southern Türkiye) and reach Europe by road via Istanbul.
Regarding the recent restriction of access to the Instagram social media platform in Turkey, Abdulkadir Uraloglu said that there are rules that companies apply depending on the countries where they are established.
“If the platform does not like a message that you send containing a post that you have made, it can block it according to its own regulations. It can delete your message. It can suspend your account. We are a state. States also have rules. The rules of a company, the rules of the state or the sensitivities of companies must be taken into account,” he noted.
Abdulkadir Uraloglu reminded that the rules should be set properly on social media platforms. Türkiye has set these rules and updated them following the necessary developments, he stressed.
He noted that messages containing obscenities, gambling and insults against Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Türkiye, fall under the category of crimes.
“On this issue, we warn Instagram from time to time and ask it to do what is necessary. […] For example, they consider the PKK a terrorist organization, but they don’t do the same when it comes to the PYD or FETO. Türkiye considers them terrorist organizations,” he said.
He continued: “All platforms know it now, Türkiye is determined on this issue. If necessary, we can take all kinds of sanctions, such as banning advertisements, reducing access speed and finally blocking. We have demonstrated that Türkiye is capable of doing this.”
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