Syrian Economy and Industry Minister Nidal al-Shaar said Tuesday that Türkiye and Syria are “bound by destiny” and share “a common future” during a meeting.
The Türkiye-Syria roundtable meeting in Ankara was also attended by Turkish Trade Minister Ömer Bolat and Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, the president of Türkiye’s Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges.
Al-Shaar said Türkiye became "one of the largest economies worldwide in two decades,” and the relations between Ankara and Damascus will continue based on "mutual respect and sincerity.”
The minister said that "no country other than Türkiye and Syria” has done as much for each other, emphasizing that the continued partnership "has to be established in every area,” extending it to cultural, social, economic, industrial, and production areas.
"The experience Türkiye has is one that we can call a miracle,” he said. "That is not easy.”
Al-Shaar said the partnership will start with small and medium-sized enterprises, and then it will move on to larger projects. "We placed trust in the Turkish economy and the Turkish business community, especially in the field of investments,” he noted.
He mentioned that Türkiye will establish production plants in Syria and export industrial goods, while the investments from Türkiye will drive more production.
Al-Shaar highlighted that the 15-year break in relations between Türkiye and Syria during the civil war will resume with the collective effort of rebuilding the country. "The Türkiye-Syria partnership is certain, and it is guided by destiny: this is why we will be together,” he said.
Ankara, which supported opposition forces in Syria throughout the 13-year civil war that ended in December with the ousting of longtime dictator Bashar Assad, has now become one of the new government's main foreign allies while positioning itself to be a major player in the country's reconstruction.
