Binali Yıldırım

Who is Binali Yıldırım?

Binali Yıldırım is a Turkish politician and the former Minister of Transport, Maritime and Communication of Turkey and a MP for Izmir of the ruling Justice and Development Party.

Born in Refahiye, Erzincan Province to a Kurdish family originally from Ağrı, Yıldırım was educated at the Istanbul Technical University's School of Maritime in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering and in 1991 he graduated from the World Maritime University with a Master of Science degree in Maritime Safety and Environmental Protection. After graduation, Yıldırım served as the director general of the Istanbul Fast Ferries Company from 1994 to 2000 while the current Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was mayor of Istanbul.

He entered politics and became a co-founder of the Justice and Development Party in August 2001. During his term of transport minister, Turkey met with high-speed rail lines. Under his leadership, Turkey constructed high-speed rail between Ankara-Eskişehir and Ankara-Konya. Also Eskisehir-Istanbul line is under construction to connect Istanbul and Ankara.