Speaking at a meeting of The Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul on Monday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan lauded Syria’s liberation from the Baathist oppression. Erdoğan, however, underlined that Syria has to recover from the damage from years of the conflict.
“Syria’s recovery is our priority; thus, we launch a special support program under COMCEC today,” Erdoğan said.
The COMCEC meeting, preceded by several sessions on Sunday, devoted a segment to the recovery and rebuilding of Syria, Türkiye's southern neighbor. Ankara spearheaded efforts for a path to recovery for the country that suffered from more than a decade of civil war. Syria was liberated from the oppressive Baathist regime last December and since then, Türkiye has thrown all the support it can to the new administration striving to restore stability to the country.
Erdoğan said the new support program exclusive to Syria would contribute to increasing Syria's institutional capacity. "We will provide project support to Syria in several fields, including education, exchange of experts, an analysis of needs and in feasibility studies. I believe all member states will make valuable contributions to this project," Erdoğan stated.
Türkiye holds the chair of COMCEC, one of four standing committees of the OIC, which concentrates on economic and commercial relations between Muslim countries.
Erdoğan told dignitaries, including ministers from OIC countries and observer states, that Türkiye and the OIC endeavored to lift sanctions, "a serious obstacle to the economic development of Syria." "Thankfully, they are gradually ending," he said. Syria has been working to revive the country's economy by attracting investors and signing trade agreements with regional states and companies after the fall of the Assad regime, which left a trail of destruction in its wake, with crumbling infrastructure and mass displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.
Sanctions imposed during Syria’s civil war have been lifted in several fields after Assad’s fall. In May, the European Union announced the lifting of all economic sanctions and this was preceded by an announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump that they would lift all sanctions.
"At this point, we are encouraging the private sector to invest in Syria," Erdoğan told the Istanbul event.
The president reminded that he repeatedly highlighted the plight of the people of Syria for years at previous COMCEC meetings he chaired. "For about 14 years, our Syrian brothers paid a heavy price. Attacks of the Baathist regime and terrorist groups cost the lives of about 1 million Syrian brothers and sisters. Millions of others, including 3.6 million people heading to Türkiye, were forced to take shelter in other countries. We hosted Syrian refugees like Ansar hosted those from Mecca," he said, referring to the emigration of Muslims from Islam's birthplace to Medina during Prophet Muhammad's lifetime. "We tried to be a good brother and neighbor for them. Thank Allah, the oppressed Syrians achieved victory. The December 8 revolution ended the bloodshed by the oppressor. Under the resilient leadership of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria is on the path to recovery," Erdoğan said.
He said they warmly welcomed Syria's participation in the COMCEC meeting after a long break. A Syrian delegation from the Ministry of Economy and Industry and the Development Fund, led by Economy and Industry Deputy Minister Basel Abdel Hanan, attended the COMCEC meeting. Erdoğan noted that Türkiye continued supporting Syrians in many fields, from transportation and education to security, commerce, health care and social services. "The support of COMCEC and the Islamic world is essential to help all Syrian brothers to find lasting prosperity and to protect Syria's political unity and territorial integrity. Syria's integration with regional economies will produce tangible contributions both for Syria itself and our region," he said.
Syria is a key gateway for Türkiye for commerce with the Middle East. The two countries plan to launch transit transportation at full scale later this month. Syrian authorities plan to introduce an instant visa system at border crossings for Turkish truck drivers to facilitate the transit crossings. In the past four months alone, Türkiye exported goods worth $50 million to Syria, according to a local association of Turkish transportation companies, through the Cilvegözü border crossing in southern Türkiye's Hatay province.
