Türkiye and Syria are set to hold a series of meetings this week aimed at deepening economic ties and paving the way for a new level in trade after Ankara added Syria to its target export markets list this year.
Trade between the two countries gained momentum after the ouster of longtime dictator Bashar Assad in late 2024, as the neighboring countries also seek broader cooperation in areas including industry, transportation and energy.
The pace has been accelerated alongside diplomatic contacts. This weekend, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan visited Syria, where he met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
The meetings focused on regional developments and security issues, as well as ways to strengthen bilateral ties and expand economic cooperation.
The first meeting of the Türkiye-Syria Joint Economic and Trade Committee, or JETCO, is scheduled to take place on Tuesday.
The meeting is expected to be co-chaired by Trade Minister Ömer Bolat and Syrian Economy and Industry Minister Nidal al-Shaar.
A Türkiye-Syria Business and Investment Forum will also be held with the participation of business representatives from both countries.
The forum is expected to bring together companies from the energy, construction, health care, food, agriculture, livestock, logistics, education and textile sectors for bilateral meetings.
Panels on logistics, banking and contracting are also planned.
The growing engagement is expected to strengthen cooperation across multiple sectors and open the way for new records in bilateral trade.
Syria was added to Türkiye’s list of target export markets this year.
Türkiye’s exports to Syria rose by nearly 60% in 2025 to $3.5 billion, up from $2.2 billion a year earlier.
The largest export category last year was milling products, malt, starches, inulin and wheat gluten, totaling $232.7 million.
Exports continued to accelerate following the collapse of the former regime.
In the first two months of this year, exports climbed a further 26.7% on an annual basis to more than $666.7 million.
That marked the highest January-February export figure to Syria since the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) began publishing the data in 2013.
Motor vehicles, tractors, bicycles, motorcycles and related parts and accessories ranked as the top export category in the first two months of the year, with shipments totaling $72.7 million.
