Türkiye has been elected unanimously to the 2027 Presidency of the International Transport Forum (ITF), the intergovernmental transport policy body affiliated with the OECD. The decision was taken at the 2026 ITF Annual Summit currently underway in Leipzig, Germany, where Türkiye's Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced the result with the statement: "Türkiye assuming this important task demonstrates its strength in transportation." The ITF, with 66 member countries, is the largest intergovernmental forum in global transport policy; its ministerial-level summit is regarded as one of the reference platforms shaping the world transport agenda.
The 2027 presidency grants Türkiye the authority to set the annual summit theme and to coordinate policy across member states. Historically the role has rotated among the OECD core and leading Euro-Atlantic transport economies; Türkiye assuming this role for the first time reflects the international visibility of the country's geopolitical position and multimodal infrastructure investments. Major Turkish projects of the past decade — Marmaray, Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, the Eurasia Tunnel, the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, Ankara-İzmir HSR, the Port of Filyos, the Northern Marmara Highway, and the Third Airport — are among examples ITF members have been tracking closely as a "Türkiye infrastructure model."
From a supply chain perspective, the election is strategic across four axes. First, with the Middle Corridor (Trans-Caspian International Transport Route) rising as the China-Europe alternative bypassing Russia, the ITF presidency creates an opportunity for Türkiye to elevate the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, Marmaray transit freight crossing, and the Çukurova/Development Road projects on the global forum. Second, European Green Deal instruments such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and the transition to electric/hydrogen heavy-duty vehicles will sit at the heart of the ITF's 2027 agenda — placing Türkiye directly in the standard-setting process. Third, north-south corridor designs such as the Black Sea-Caspian corridor and the Türkiye-Syria-Jordan-Gulf modern Hejaz Railway can be elevated to the forum agenda during the Turkish presidency; in the medium term this is a positive parameter for freight costs and supply chain resilience. Fourth, Türkiye's increased visibility in OECD-EU-Türkiye multilateral platforms improves logistics firms' regulatory environment foresight — particularly in customs modernization, e-CMR, and digital maritime standards.
Key Takeaways:
1. Türkiye was unanimously elected to the 2027 Presidency of the OECD-affiliated International Transport Forum (ITF).
2. The decision was taken at the 2026 ITF Annual Summit currently underway in Leipzig, Germany.
3. Türkiye was represented by Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu.
4. Uraloğlu: "Türkiye assuming this important task demonstrates its strength in transportation."
5. The ITF, with 66 member countries, is the largest intergovernmental forum on global transport policy.
6. The 2027 presidency confers authority to set the annual summit theme and coordinate policy among member states; this opens an opportunity for Türkiye to elevate Middle Corridor and modern Hejaz Railway projects on the global agenda.
