Turkey as a Eurasian Transport Hub: Prospects for Inter-Regional Partnership

Authors : Altay ATLI

Pages : 117-134

View : 19 | Download : 9

Publication Date : 2018-10-07

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Turkey is well poised to become a  Eurasian transport hub connecting  Europe with Asia, the East with the West.  While the country is blessed with a prime  geographical location in this respect, it also  needs infrastructure development within  its territory, and enhanced connectivity  with neighboring countries and the region  in general. Turkey’s recent cooperation with  China within the framework of the latter’s  Belt and Road Initiative is an important  development in this sense; however, there  should be more cooperation with other  regional powers as well, especially with  Russia. Transport corridors favored by  Turkey and by Russia, or routes that cross  the territories of these countries, do not  necessarily compete with or substitute for  each other; they could rather function as  parts of a holistic network of Eurasian  connectivity. 
Keywords : Turkey, Russia, China, Transportation, Connectivity, Belt and Road Initiative, Eurasian Economic Union