Numerous Syrians who fled the civil war and took refuge in Turkey have been integrated into the Turkish economy, operating in diverse sectors, including retail, textile, agriculture, food, e-commerce, manufacturing, construction and real estate.

So far, Syrian businesspeople have invested more than $1.5 billion in Turkey, according to Ziad Shamaoun, deputy chair of the Syrian Businessmen's Association (SİAD).

Hundreds of thousands of people have died and millions lost their homes in the civil war that has been going on for almost nine years. During the time, over 300 Syrian businesspeople, who fled to Turkey, continue their economic activities with investments in the country.

Born and raised in Aleppo, Shamaoun sought asylum in Turkey with his family because of the ongoing civil war. He said they established SİAD with more than 200 Syrian businesspeople in Gaziantep. "I manufacture furniture and similar household goods," he continued. "We are carrying out projects with Syrian business people in the association. We market our products and those of Turkish origin to Arab countries," Shamaoun told the Anadolu Agency (AA) yesterday.

Shamaoun added that Syrian businesspeople have invested in many different cities, including Istanbul, Bursa, Gaziantep and Hatay. "There are firms with large investment volumes. For instance, one of our members contributes to the Turkish economy with an annual trade volume of $45 million," he said. "Up until now, our businesses, which actively operate in Turkey, have made high-volume investments in the country, reaching around $1.5 billion. We will announce the exact figure next month with some new investments. We have large-capacity factories. We strive to further increase our investments."

Last year in July, the Syrian businesspeople in Turkey signed a protocol to open 10 factories in Turkey's southeastern city of Şanlıurfa where 1,540 people will be employed with an investment of TL 80 million.