The Turkish Ministry of Trade said – today, Friday – that Türkiye and Syria agreed to reassess customs duties on some goods, adding that they also discussed trade and economic relations during a meeting in Damascus.
The ministry added that officials from the two countries agreed to begin negotiations to reactivate the free trade agreement, which was suspended in 2011 when the war broke out in Syria.
A statement by the Turkish Ministry explained that bilateral relations have witnessed significant progress in the recent period with the fall of the former regime in Syria on the eighth of last December.
He pointed out that a specialized technical delegation from the ministry, headed by Deputy Minister of Trade Mustafa Tuzcu, arrived in the capital, Damascus, on board a Turkish Airlines flight yesterday, Thursday.
The statement indicated that the Turkish delegation met in Damascus with the Syrian Minister of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection, Maher Khalil Al-Hassan, the head of the Land and Sea Ports Authority, Qutaiba Al-Badawi, and officials in the Syrian Foreign Ministry.
The Ministry confirmed that the two sides decided to re-evaluate the customs duties applied by the Syrian side to all countries and border crossings, which began on January 11 of this year.
It was agreed to cooperate in areas such as trade in industrial and agricultural products, transit transport, bilateral transport and contracting, with the aim of revitalizing the Syrian economy.
The statement stated that the Syrian side indicated that Turkish companies would play a major role in the reconstruction of Syria and the advancement of Syrian industry.
Coordination will be made with the Syrian administration to ensure the work of Turkish companies that were providing their services in certain areas in Syria, to include all parts of the country, in addition to evaluating investment opportunities in the new phase, according to the statement.
It was also decided to strengthen the existing coordination with Syria in a faster and more efficient manner in managing the intense traffic at commercial crossings.
The statement confirmed that Turkish products are now able to reach all of Syria, not just the northern regions.
