A high-level City Economies Summit hosted by Anadolu Agency and the Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality will bring together Turkish and Syrian officials and business leaders on June 9 to explore renewed economic cooperation between Türkiye and Syria.
The “City Economies Summit Gaziantep-Aleppo” will take place at the Mavera Congress and Arts Center of Gaziantep University, focusing on investment opportunities, production networks, export capacity, and potential reforms in customs procedures aimed at easing cross-border trade.
The event will open with speeches from Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat, Gaziantep Governor Kemal Ceber, Aleppo Governor Azzam Al Gharib, Gaziantep Mayor Fatma Sahin, and Anadolu CEO Serdar Karagoz, signalling strong political and institutional backing for deeper regional engagement.
Special economic zones on the table
A central topic will be the possible creation of specially regulated production and trade zones between Gaziantep and Aleppo, designed to support joint manufacturing ecosystems along the border and attract large-scale investment.
Participants are expected to discuss how such zones could help rebuild supply chains and establish an intermediate industrial hub connecting both economies more efficiently.
A dedicated session will highlight remarks from Türkiye’s Ambassador to Damascus Nuh Yilmaz, on the gradual revival of commercial relations between the two neighbours.
Representatives from the chambers of commerce and industry of both Gaziantep and Aleppo will also present assessments on market conditions and investment prospects.
Organisers say the summit aims to support Syria’s reconstruction through coordinated economic engagement centred in Gaziantep, while building a more institutional, sustainable, and high-value trade framework between the two countries.
