Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has praised Türkiye’s infrastructure investments at a recent panel held on the changing geopolitical dynamics and their impact on Türkiye.
Johnson, while speaking at the panel, said: “Türkiye shows all the dynamism in building infrastructure that is woefully lacking in the UK,” noting that the UK lacks a new runway to serve the airports of London, and the country recently cancelled a project to build high-speed rail.
“And here, in Türkiye, you’ve built colossal airports, amazing new infrastructure, and high-speed rail,” he said. “It’s a lesson for us.”
“I was very proud when I was Mayor of London to build all sorts of things—the Crossrail was the biggest engineering project in Europe,” he noted. “I built lots of river crossings.”
“I think, in the UK, we have to accept that Türkiye’s ambitions are really inspiring and leaving us behind—the scale and the pace of change here since I first came to Türkiye has been extraordinary, and Türkiye has taken on an ever more important role on the world stage, as a bridge between East and West, but also more importantly, as a force for global stability,” he added.
Johnson stated that Türkiye has done “some great things” as a NATO member state and with Syria. “I hope very much that we’ll have some peace and stability in that country,” he said.
The former prime minister mentioned that the UK and Türkiye have “a great role together in reassuring the world about the permanence of our values and restoring some common sense where that is necessary.”
Türkiye's ambitious strategy aims to position the country as a global leader in innovation, manufacturing, and high-tech industries.
Johnson said the priority is to end the “miserable” war in Ukraine, paying tribute to Turkish efforts for peace.
“In the White House, they are finally understanding that (…) Ukraine didn’t start this war—Russia is the aggressor, and I think they always did (understand), (since) it’s very clear to President Trump,” he said. “I think he is now going to start putting real pressure on Vladimir Putin.”
Ahmet Eren, president of the Turkish Finance Accountants’ Foundation (HUV), said the panel hosted Turkish and foreign scientists, politicians, and experts in the past to discuss the changes in the global economy in 2023 and 2024. This year’s panel focused on attracting global attention.
“The panel was determined before US President Donald Trump’s re-election, but Trump’s statements stirred the global economy, especially his April 2 statements, making this issue ever more important,” he said.
“Assessing the effects of Trump’s second term in office on the global political and economic system is much more important today than ever,” he added.
