Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat said the protocol signed between Türkiye and Syria as part of the Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) meeting will act as a comprehensive roadmap for economic integration, regional development and reconstruction.
Following the bilateral meeting, Turkish and Syrian officials held the First Term Meeting of the Türkiye-Syria JETCO on Tuesday in Istanbul.
In his statement after the meeting, Bolat noted that there was a historical turning point in economic and trade relations between Türkiye and Syria.
He said the first session of JETCO, which they signed in Ankara on August 5, 2025, was completed successfully on the axis of mutual trust.
Bolat stated that parties confirmed their determination to reach a balanced and sustainable volume of bilateral trade for the mutual benefit of both nations during the talks.
"We discussed all kinds of solutions and mechanisms to bring our bilateral trade, which reached $3.7 billion last year, to $5 billion first and then to the $10 billion target," he added.
He noted that while deciding to deepen the cooperation, especially in strategic sectors such as textiles, agriculture, food and machinery, the two countries also agreed to share mutual information on regulatory frameworks to ensure predictability in agricultural trade.
"We are also very pleased to bring together the leading companies and investors of both countries with the Türkiye-Syria Business and Investment Forum to be held on the margins of this meeting," he said.
Touching upon the recent difficulties and hot wars experienced by the region and the world, Bolat noted that they attach great importance to the uninterrupted realisation of foreign trade with multiple alternatives.
Opportunity for expansion
Mohammad Nidal al-Shaar, the Syrian economy and industry minister, stated that Syria started to work on good ground and in a good field with Türkiye, expressing that the two countries continue their cooperation in economic, cultural services and social fields.
Noting that Türkiye and Syria have special relations, Shaar explained that the two countries find the opportunity to expand this and that there are serious projects.
Rather than economic cooperation, there is, of course, an opportunity for expansion, and we have set out on this path, he said.
He stressed that the work on the industrial zone planned for Aleppo is continuing by the industrialists.
He noted that this will have a direct impact on other projects and the business environment.
Meanwhile, the two countries signed a cooperation agreement in the fields of product safety and inspection, technical regulations, standardisation, conformity, and metrology during the JETCO meeting.
