Will bridges and highways be sold?

Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdülkadir Uraloğlu met with media representatives as part of an iftar program. Evaluating the claims regarding the future of bridges and highways at the meeting, Uraloğlu stated, "The sale of those places is not on the agenda at all." The Minister pointed out that maintenance work on road infrastructure places a serious burden on the budget. Uraloğlu said, "On roads, routine light maintenance is required every 10 years, and heavy maintenance every 20 years. We have started to perform heavy maintenance on both highways and some other roads. This brings serious costs to our budget. Therefore, we are having a study conducted to see if we can grant the operating rights for a certain period, shift these construction burdens to the operator to prevent a load on the budget, and also determine how much revenue we could generate on top of that," he said.

Reminding that the operating rights of the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge will pass to the state in 2028, Uraloğlu emphasized that after being taken over, the roads and bridges will be the property of the state and the citizens. He added that no final decision has been made in this process. The Minister said, "We will determine the value of our asset. We know what we will spend. If we can also forecast what revenue we will generate from there, we will make a decision accordingly."

Regional developments were also discussed at the meeting. Regarding the latest situation in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, Minister Uraloğlu provided information, stating: "We have declared the highest level of security there. I can say that there are no Turkish-flagged ships. We are in constant contact with Turkish-owned ships and our Main Search and Rescue Coordination Center. Of course, you know the importance of the Strait of Hormuz in world trade, energy, and supply. If we look at the number of ships, there are 14 Turkish-owned ships still there, but I can say that in total, there are currently 800 ships of various classes in the Strait of Hormuz. There are also 6 cruise ships waiting there with their passengers. As I mentioned a moment ago, we had 15 ships; we obtained permission for one of them to pass because it was using an Iranian port. We are trying to remain in contact with the Iranian side. Our 14 ships are waiting; they do not have any problems at the moment."

NEW STEPS IN SOCIAL MEDIA REGULATION

Minister Uraloğlu also pointed out that a new regulation regarding children's use of social media has been sent to Parliament. Uraloğlu stated, "We do not want our children and youth under the age of 15 to use social media platforms. They should be more engaged with their studies. This does not mean not using the internet, I would like to specifically state that. I would also like to mention that our safe internet application in Turkey has received a very serious response."

Pointing out that this new practice has also been implemented in many Western countries, the Minister emphasized that the regulation was submitted to Parliament in cooperation with the Ministry of Family and Social Services: "We have discussed the feasibility of this with social media platforms when you impose sanctions. I would like to specifically state that it has been done in some trials in some countries. There are many examples from England to America, from France to Australia. Therefore, we have sent an application to Parliament, taking our own values into account, together with our Ministry of Family and Social Services."