According to KurdPress, Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bulat announced the acceleration of the process of opening the Nusaybin-Qamishlo border crossing at the meeting on "Syrian Free Trade and Industrial Zones and Investment Space" held in Ankara with the participation of Qutibe Ahmed Badawi, Head of the General Directorate of Border Crossings and Customs of Syria, and Rifat Hesarciklioglu, President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB).Referring to the target set by the leaders of the two countries to increase bilateral trade to $10 billion, Bulat said: “Last year alone, mutual trade between the two countries reached about $3.75 billion, with a growth of more than 40 percent, and we are determined to increase this figure.”

He emphasized that achieving this goal requires increasing production and investment in both countries, as well as strengthening, developing and modernizing land border crossings and maritime transportation routes.

Stating that the movement of goods and passengers through the border crossings of the two countries continues uninterrupted, the Turkish Minister of Trade added: “Work has accelerated to open the Nusaybin-Qamishlo customs crossing at the easternmost point of the border by the end of this year for commercial, passenger and transit traffic.»

Bolat also noted that since April this year, with the resumption of transit trade between Turkey and Syria, trade with Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Bahrain has also been on the rise.

Referring to the consequences of the war in the Persian Gulf and the disruptions caused by the repeated closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Turkish Trade Minister Bolat said that these developments have shown that the development of land corridors and oil and gas transmission lines from Turkey and Syria to Jordan, Iraq and other Gulf countries has become a necessity.

Bolat added that the Turkish and Syrian governments have made positive progress in facilitating transit trade with the Gulf countries. According to him, transit trade via Saudi Arabia, which had been suspended for about 14 years, has resumed since April 15, and transit trade via the Syria-Jordan route is also continuing regularly.He also announced that the Joint Customs Committee and Joint Economic Cooperation Mechanism (JETCO) between Turkey and Syria was established last year and that the Damascus International Fair is also scheduled to be held with wide participation at the end of next month.

At the meeting, Qutayba Ahmed Badawi, Head of the General Directorate of Border Crossings and Customs of Syria, also referred to the beginning of the reconstruction process in Syria and appreciated Turkey's support for millions of Syrian citizens, saying that Damascus' goal is to upgrade the relations between the two countries from the stage of assistance and solidarity to the stage of full participation in production, development and investment.

Referring to the Idlib Free Trade Zone and Saraqeb Dry Port and Industrial Zone projects, Badawi invited Turkish companies and investors to participate in these projects.He said that these projects will provide incentives such as tax, customs and financial exemptions, allowing for free operation in the fields of warehousing, re-export and industrial production.

He emphasized: “Our goal is not only to increase trade volume, but also to create an integrated system between Turkey and Syria that includes production and supply chains.”

It is worth noting that the Nusaybin-Qamishlo border crossing, which was put into operation in 1953, has remained closed since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2012. It was previously announced that the crossing would be reopened on March 31, but this plan did not materialize.

According to the report, the reopening of the crossing is among the measures being pursued within the framework of the January 29 agreement between the Autonomous Administration of Northern and Eastern Syria and the interim government in Damascus, and it has been announced that the necessary technical preparations for its reopening have been completed.