Marius Skuodis to meet Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure and attend the IRF World Congress in Istanbul

On 14–16 October, Marius Skuodis, Lithuanian Minister of Transport and Communications, will visit Istanbul, Türkiye, to meet Mr Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, and to participate in the International Road Federation (IRF) World Congress.

The Ministers will discuss the implementation of strategic transport infrastructure projects in both countries, the development of direct air connectivity and other topical issues on the bilateral agenda.

The visit is also expected to include discussions on the possibility of connecting the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, known as the Middle Corridor, with the Baltic Sea region, thus providing alternatives for transporting goods and boosting trade links with Türkiye and Central Asia.

The potential to develop additional multimodal transport links along this particularly important north-south route is also expected to be enhanced by the European railway line to Klaipėda, which has already been included in the new TEN-T Regulation this year.

Mr Skuodis will also attend the IRF World Congress in Istanbul, where he will speak at a ministerial session “Decarbonised and resilient transport for resilient societies and economies”.

Türkiye is one of the most popular destinations for Lithuanian travellers, and Istanbul is a major global aviation hub connecting Lithuania with many countries across Asia. In the first 9 months of this year, more than 325 000 passengers travelled from Lithuania to Türkiye on charter flights alone.

In addition, during this period, almost 140 000 passengers travelled directly between Lithuania and Istanbul on scheduled flights, which is 4% more compared to the same period last year. Turkish Airlines connects Lithuania directly with Istanbul 14 times a week. 

In 2023, a total of around 825 000 cargoes were transported to and from Türkiye via the Port of Klaipėda.