Preparations for Development Road Project with Iraq in final stage, says Turkish transport minister

Preparations for the massive Development Road Project linking Iraq and Türkiye are in their final stage, with the financing being discussed, the Turkish transport and infrastructure minister said on Wednesday.

"We are endeavoring to start (the project) in 2025," Abdulkadir Uraloglu told Anadolu's Editor's Desk in the capital Ankara.

The Development Road is an important trade route project linking Iraq and Türkiye with railways, roads, ports, and cities.

That 745-mile (1,200-kilometer) railway and highways will connect the Great Faw Port, aimed to be the largest port in the Middle East.

With the Iraqi Silk Road, an alternative route to the Suez Canal is being created to facilitate faster and more efficient trade.

- CYBERSECURITY

Regarding Turksat 6A, Türkiye's first homegrown communications satellite, he said the satellite will be placed in its permanent orbit in October and it will be active by the end of this year.

After successfully passing all tests, Turksat 6A was launched from the US state of Florida into space by Space X's Falcon 9 rocket in July.

The satellite is expected to increase satellite coverage of Türkiye to India, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

On the latest explosion in Lebanon, Uraloglu said pagers are almost never used in Türkiye. "I can clearly say that there is no risk in Türkiye for pagers," he added.

On Tuesday, nine people died and hundreds were injured in the Lebanese capital Beirut, and several areas after wireless communication devices, known as pagers, exploded. The Lebanese government accused Israel of being behind the incident.

"We prevent over 400 cyberattacks every day," he said, adding that Türkiye is among the top 10 advanced countries in cybersecurity.