Türkiye is aiming to strike a maritime demarcation agreement with Syria when the time is right, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said on Tuesday, also highlighting Ankara's plan to help revitalize the airport in Damascus and try to repair railway lines.
Türkiye has been in close contact with the new interim administration of its southern neighbor, including Türkiye's intelligence chief and foreign minister meeting with de-facto Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa following the fall of the regime of Bashar Assad earlier this month.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last week said Ankara would improve ties with Syria, including in trade, energy and defense.
Energy and Natural Resources Minister, meanwhile, also said on Monday that the delegation would visit Syria "soon" to discuss possible energy cooperation, including transmitting electricity to ease power shortages.
"Of course, an authority must first be established there ... It will be on our agenda for sure, but it's hard to say that it's on today's agenda," Uraloğlu told reports in Ankara on Tuesday, regarding the maritime boundaries.
The maritime demarcation agreement would be in line with international law and would allow the two countries to determine authorities for oil and hydrocarbon exploration, the minister also said.
Noting that Syria is an important gateway to the Mediterranean, Uraloğlu said: "We know that its ports are almost completely undeveloped. We will probably have determinations and efforts regarding certain investments to be made there. Of course, a Maritime Jurisdiction Agreement, probably, for example, to protect our interests in the Eastern Mediterranean and the 'Blue Homeland.' When the time comes, our relevant institutions will take action there."
"Look, salaries need to be paid to civil servants there. There is an agenda regarding the disarmament of armed groups. This will definitely be on the agenda, but it would not be right to say that it is on today's agenda," he said.
Referring to airports in Syria, the minister said that they made the necessary checks at Damascus and Aleppo airports by sending a team to both. He also evaluated the potential steps regarding their full restoration. He noted that currently there are no radar systems at the airports and that smartphone applications are used for monitoring traffic.
Uraloğlu asserted that they will first evaluate the conditions regarding the revitalizing of Damascus Airport with the General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMI).
"There are parts of the railways that go from Türkiye to Hejaz. We know that they have not been operated as parts of a certain whole there for a long time. We will quickly evaluate the situation and take a position regarding ensuring the integrity of the railways up to Damascus in the first stage," the minister said.
