Türkiye to enter into 'great move' with Syria in trade

Türkiye will enter into a great move with Syria in the new period in terms of trade, investments, and reconstruction of the country, said Turkish trade minister.

Speaking at the Türkiye Exporters Assembly meeting on Friday, Ömer Bolat reminded that Türkiye's trade with Syria was $1.8 billion in exports and $660 million in imports in 2011.

Türkiye's trade statistics with Syria in 2024 comprised $2.2 billion in exports and $438 million in imports, increasing mostly in exports from Türkiye to Syria.

He added: "Türkiye's Free Trade Agreement with Syria was signed and approved in 2007 but it was suspended after civil war had begun in Syria in 2011.

"In the new period, we are completing our preparations for both Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and customs regimes by working with the Syrian authorities. We will try to maximize our trade and investment relations at the point of having a strong Syria."

Bolat also touched on the preparations to expand the FTA with Palestine, saying: "We concluded negotiations to expand our Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Palestine.

"Within the scope of the FTA with Palestine, we provided concessions in 41 agricultural products, and we increased the dates quota from 1,000 tons to 3,000 tons, then to 4,000 tons and finally to 7,000 tons."