Türkiye and Syria have agreed to reassess customs tariffs on certain products and held discussions on economic and trade relations during meetings in Damascus, a statement said on Friday.
Turkish and Syrian officials also agreed to start negotiations to re-enact the free trade agreement (FTA) suspended in 2011, when the civil war began in Syria, Türkiye's Trade Ministry said.
Last week, media reports indicated that Syria had decided to increase customs tariffs on Turkish imports by 300% to 500%, leaving kilometers-long truck lines piling up near border crossings between the two nations.
However, the Trade Ministry a week ago said that the newly implemented tariff system, effective as of Jan. 11, was not exclusive to Turkish goods but applied equally across all borders and customs administrations.
The statement on Friday said a Turkish trade delegation met with Syrian officials in Damascus on Thursday to discuss the current state of bilateral relations. The talks focused on economic and trade ties, customs regulations, and a road map for future cooperation.
Türkiye has been the main backer of the opposition forces that ousted longtime dictator Bashar Assad last month and has since pledged to help Syria's reconstruction and economic revival.
Following Assad's fall, officials expressed optimism that the trade volume between Türkiye and Syria could reach $10 billion in the near future.
The volume stood at $2.3 billion in 2010, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), before the civil war broke out. Syria's economic structure rapidly collapsed as of 2011 due to the war, which severely impacted goods exchange with Türkiye.
In 2012, the trade volume plummeted to $565 million. It increased over the years but never achieved pre-2011 levels. According to the TurkStat data, Türkiye exported goods worth over $1.95 billion to Syria in 2024.
During the meetings in Damscus, Syria agreed to customs tariffs for specific products to facilitate smoother trade between the two nations, the Trade Ministry said.
The most important outcome was the agreement to restart negotiations for reinstating the Türkiye-Syria free trade deal. The ministry said the new approach seeks to establish a broader economic partnership.
The discussions also identified key areas for bilateral cooperation, including trade in industrial and agricultural products, transit and bilateral transportation and contracting and construction services in order to revive the Syrian economy, the statement said.
Syrian officials emphasized the key role Turkish companies could play in Syria's reconstruction efforts and the revival of its industrial sector.
Turkish firms, which have so far provided services only to certain regions of Syria, will now have opportunities to operate throughout the country and evaluate investment potential in coordination with the Syrian administration, the statement said.
The sides also decided to strengthen the existing coordination to manage the increasing traffic at commercial crossing points with Syria more quickly and efficiently.
