Anatolia Agency said that the new Syrian administration, which took power after the end of 53 years of Assad’s family rule in December 2024, is adopting a new economic approach aimed at enhancing trade cooperation with Turkey, especially in the sectors of reconstruction, trade and investment.
In this context, the Turkish Ministry of Trade indicated that Syria moved to a new customs system on January 11, 2025, as 6302 customs tariffs that include the Syrian border with Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq were modified.
According to Turkish Minister of Trade Omar Bilat, these amendments aim to collect revenues to cover public expenditures, and they were not particularly directed against Turkish products.
Customs discounts for Turkey
For its part, the Daily Sabah newspaper and the Anatolia Agency reported that the Syrian government decided to reduce customs duties on 269 Turkish products, after consultations between the Turkish and Syrian ministries.
The products concerned include eggs, flour, corn, milk, cream, iron products, steel and healthy materials, which are basic commodities for the food and construction sectors in Syria.
Polit stressed during a meeting in Ankara that these cuts came after the Turkish side warnings that customs increases on basic commodities will lead to high inflation inside Syria, which prompted the Syrian administration to amend its policy.
Free Trade Agreement
The Anatolia Agency indicated that Syria and Turkey started discussions to reactivate the 2007 free trade agreement, which was suspended with the outbreak of war in Syria in 2011.
Bilat emphasized that the two sides have reached a positive understanding regarding the re -work of this agreement on a broader scale, which enhances the flow of goods and services between the two countries.
According to Daily Sabah, also the meetings held in Damascus between economic officials from both sides discussed the expansion of the economic partnership to include wider areas of cooperation, including investments and reconstruction.
A jump in trade
Data published by the Anatolia Agency showed that the trade exchange between the two countries witnessed a great recovery after the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024.
Turkey’s exports to Syria in 2024 amounted to about 2.2 billion dollars, while imports from Syria recorded $ 450 million before the regime collapsed last December, according to the Turkish minister.
In the period between 1 and 25 January 2025, the value of Turkish exports to northern Syria amounted to 219 million dollars, recording 35.5% compared to the same period last year, as it was 161 million dollars.
Expectations to increase trade exchange
The Daily Sabah newspaper indicated that Turkey and Syria are seeking to raise the volume of trade exchange to 10 billion dollars in the near future, especially with the launch of reconstruction projects in Syria after the end of the 13 -year war.
The value of bilateral trade between the two countries amounted to $ 2.3 billion in 2010, but collapsed to $ 565 million in 2012 due to the outbreak of the war, according to data issued by the Turkish Statistical Institute (Turkstat).
Although numbers have improved in recent years, the trade has not returned to pre -2011 levels until now.
Türkiye sees in these economic changes an opportunity to enhance regional stability, as it seeks to support reconstruction and develop infrastructure in Syria, which reflects positively on the interests of both sides.
It is expected that Ankara and Damascus will continue their economic consultations in the coming months, with the possibility of mutual visits between officials as soon as Syrian government institutions stabilize, according to what Bilat confirmed in his recent statements.
