A high business delegation from Türkiye met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus on Friday to debate alternatives for financial cooperation and the reconstruction of the war-torn nation’s industrial and business infrastructure.
Türkiye has supported opposition forces in Syria all through the 13-year civil conflict that led to December with the ousting of longtime dictator Bashar Assad. It is now positioning itself to play a significant position within the neighboring nation’s rebuilding.
Turkish firms now see large alternatives after a lifting of long-standing U.S. sanctions, which severed Syria from the worldwide monetary system, cleared the way in which for funding in postwar reconstruction.
The delegation from the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB) arrived in Damascus on Thursday and attended a gathering with high officers, together with Minister of Economy and Industry Nidal al-Shaar and the representatives of the Syrian business world.
On Friday, the delegation was acquired by al-Sharaa for a gathering that TOBB President Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu described as “highly productive,” emphasizing Türkiye’s dedication to the ideas of fine neighborly relations.
“We discussed areas of potential commercial collaboration. Syrian authorities expressed strong interest in partnering with Turkish companies. I believe we will see a rapid advancement in bilateral trade and economic relations,” Hisarcıklıoğlu mentioned in a press release.
Ankara has pledged to assist rebuild Syria’s economic system, together with by offering pure fuel. And Ziraat, Türkiye’s high state financial institution, has mentioned it could step in to help its banking sector when circumstances are proper.
Syria’s financial restoration
The delegation engaged in a collection of bilateral conferences with Syrian counterparts, specializing in restoring the nation’s industrial and business infrastructure, he famous. “We are closely following Syria’s normalization process and fully support its territorial integrity and efforts to rebuild national unity,” Hisarcıklıoğlu acknowledged.
Construction, transportation and manufacturing companies from Türkiye are poised to play a significant position in repairing the harm, which the U.N. estimates at practically $1 trillion.
Hisarcıklıoğlu mentioned that TOBB is able to contribute to offering help to make sure the success of efforts towards financial improvement and assist Syria’s financial restoration.
“We discussed how we can contribute to Syria’s reconstruction, how we can revitalize the private sector and entrepreneurship, and how we can enhance the trade volume between the two countries,” Hisarcıklıoğlu mentioned.
“Turkish companies can play a significant role in many sectors, especially infrastructure, construction, energy, food, and logistics.”
Energy
The assembly with al-Sharaa got here a day after Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar mentioned Türkiye would supply 2 billion cubic meters of pure fuel to Syria annually.
Gas exports to Syria will contribute to a further 1,300 megawatts of electrical energy manufacturing within the nation, Bayraktar advised a joint news convention together with his Syrian counterpart Mohammed al-Bashir in Damascus.
Türkiye can even present a further 1,000 megawatts of electrical energy to Syria for its short-term wants, he added.
Al-Bashir mentioned they agreed to activate a fuel pipeline that connects Syria with Türkiye, with fuel flows anticipated in June.
The two ministers mentioned finishing a 400-kilovolt line that hyperlinks the international locations, contributing to importing round 500 megawatts of electrical energy into Syria, to be prepared by the tip of the 12 months or shortly thereafter, he added.
Cooperation additionally consists of opening the door for Turkish firms to spend money on mining, phosphate, electrical energy technology and electrical energy distribution in Syria.
OIZ, border experience
Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasised that the Turkish business neighborhood can share its experience, significantly in organized industrial zones (OIZs) and the modernization of land border gates, and that joint efforts might be undertaken in these areas.
“We have tremendous experience in OIZs. Since the 1990s, OIZs have spread across Anatolia, accelerating the industrialization process. Today, there are more than 400 OIZs throughout Türkiye. Companies located in these zones account for 45% of total industrial production and provide employment to approximately 2.7 million people. Thanks to this OIZ model, Türkiye has become an industrial country,” he defined.
Hisarcıklıoğlu added that land border gates in Türkiye had been modernized by the chamber and the commodity change neighborhood and that the mission was chosen by the United Nations as the most effective worldwide and introduced as a mannequin.
“Our land border gates, which now operate more efficiently and effectively, have seen a sharp increase in traffic volume, while freight costs for our exporting companies have decreased. We want to bring all these experiences to Syria. Technical work is needed for this. In bilateral meetings, we conveyed the need to establish a working group on this matter,” he mentioned.
Trade
Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasised that transportation actions between Türkiye and Syria have not too long ago gained momentum, and commerce within the area has been revitalized.
In the primary 5 months of 2025, 110,000 shipments had been produced from Türkiye to Syria, marking a 60% enhance in comparison with the identical interval final 12 months, he famous.
“There are over 30,000 companies established by Syrians in Türkiye, 6,000 of which operate in the manufacturing sector,” Hisarcıklıoğlu mentioned.
He famous that bilateral commerce between Türkiye and Syria had dropped from $2.5 billion to $486 million throughout the civil conflict. But it has rebounded to $2.5 billion, regardless of the challenges of conflict, due to the contributions of Syrian-founded companies in Türkiye, he added.
As of 2024, Türkiye grew to become Syria’s largest buying and selling accomplice, with Syrian entrepreneurs enjoying a significant position on this improvement, based on Hisarcıklıoğlu.
“This creates a significant advantage for deeper cooperation between Türkiye and Syria in the new period,” he added.
Source: www.dailysabah.com