Ties between Türkiye and Syria have for centuries been brotherly. Despite the tensions brought about by the behavior of the tyrannical Assad dynasty, links between the two countries go far beyond the brutal excesses of a single family.
The pair were in the same country for over 400 years during the Ottoman period. But the roots go deeper still. In fact, it was Damascus’ historic Umayyad Mosque that inspired the architecture of both the Diyarbakır Grand Mosque and that of Izmir’s Isa Bey Mosque as well.
How fitting, then, that Türkiye's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) chief Ibrahim Kalın prayed at that sacred site on his recent trip to the Syrian capital for talks with the caretaker Prime Minister Mohammad al-Bashir. Indeed, Mr. Kalın’s arrival heralded the hope that these two countries will complement their shared past with a shared future.
The relations reset with the new government appear to be off to a strong start. Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s trip to Damascus on Dec. 22, together with the reopening of Ankara’s embassy in Syria after 12 years, suggest that there is a high level of intimacy already established between the two partners, or at the very least, the ambition to build such a relationship.
All this is paving the road for close cooperation going forward. This is essential for the prosperity of both nations; after all, who makes a better customer than a wealthy neighbor? There are ample opportunities for enhanced economic, cultural and security cooperation. Vibrant trade and investment, strengthened bonds through tourism and education and more are all within reach.
Türkiye could play an important role, for instance, in rebuilding Syria’s industrial infrastructure so savagely devastated by the Assad regime. Not only that, but Ankara’s diplomatic gravitas could also be at the core of the revival of Syria’s oil and gas sector, a critical pillar of the country’s economy.
Regrettably, sanctions placed on the Assad regime remain in force despite the change in government. In fact, Syria is still one of the world’s most sanctioned countries and its fuel industries are no exception. Ankara must exert pressure on the international community to ensure all sanctions are lifted and it is encouraging that Foreign Minister Fidan has already started making calls for this. To do so could allow the fledgling authorities to generate much-needed income for the reconstruction of the country and the benefit of the Syrian people. Türkiye would doubtless benefit from such efforts and could improve its own fuel security from this neighboring market. It is not only the revival of the sector that is on the table, either.
New opportunities could come to the fore as well. The Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has already expressed hopes that a planned gas pipeline linking Qatar to Türkiye via Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria – once scuppered by the previous regime – could be taken off the shelf and implemented. Such a pipeline would bring Qatari gas directly to Europe and cut the need for costly liquified natural gas shipments, making a huge difference to regional dynamics and putting both countries – one at the heart of the Muslim-majority world and the other steadily linking Europe and Asia – in a more influential position geopolitically.
The two partners stand to make similar gains in the maritime sphere. Since the departure of Bashar Assad, Syria’s shipping sector has become a no-go zone, with reports surfacing on Dec. 9 that no commercial vessels are moored in Syrian ports. This state of affairs cannot be allowed to continue. Ankara and Damascus must explore possible avenues to create a win-win in the eastern Mediterranean that enables these ports to return to their former use and ensures that Turkish ports, as well as those of other regional countries, can benefit too in the long run. I am confident that Ankara has the skills to build such a situation. Let’s not forget that it was under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s leadership that Türkiye played a key role in brokering a maritime deal that ended a dispute between Ethiopia and Somalia not too long ago.
Who could be the torchbearers of visions like these at the important grassroots level? While government buy-in is essential, we must never forget the role of individuals themselves. A successful person understands that where there is calamity, there is also opportunity. Over the course of the Syrian conflict, Türkiye nobly took in millions of refugees, as well as other Syrian nationals. Many of these people are now optimistically waiting to return to their ancestral homeland to permanently rebuild their lives. I am not in any doubt that many of these people will be able to spearhead and solidify the strengthening of ties between Türkiye and free Syria in a way that allows both societies to flourish.
Why shouldn’t they? Many of these individuals have been well-exposed to Turkish culture. They have a strong command of the Turkish language as well as Arabic, while some, having been born and raised in Türkiye and experienced its education system, have native-level proficiency. There are Syrians who have family ties through marriage to Turkish citizens and others who are Turkish nationals themselves. Moreover, the majority of Turkish and Syrian people share a common faith in Islam. These shared values are key to this partnership’s success and longevity; as the Prophet Muhammad reminds us, "A believer to another believer is like a building whose different parts enforce each other."
And, what could be a better reminder to both parties of their obligations to one another than the Quranic verse: “And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression.”
I am confident that in the coming decades, these people can realize their potential as the ones who will help build a brighter future for the two countries that are so dear to them, inshallah. The opportunities are on the horizon; better seize them.
