Syria wants to expand its economic and diplomatic ties with Turkey and to secure investments in various sectors, including huge infrastructure projects.
Improved relations between Damascus and Ankara concern Jerusalem, where Turkey is viewed as a threat.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed the growing relationship during a joint press conference in Damascus on Sunday. The meeting came several days after talks between Syrian and Turkish officials in Ankara.
Shaibani described Turkey as an important partner in Syria’s transition. Ankara was among the first countries to reopen its embassy in Damascus. It also helped reopen border crossings after the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024.
Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), Syria’s official news agency, reported on the meeting. A number of articles appeared in SANA, detailing the meeting and other recent initiatives Damascus has undertaken.
The relationship has expanded rapidly. Syria and Turkey have signed 40 agreements and memoranda of understanding, creating links between 22 Syrian ministries and agencies and their Turkish counterparts, SANA reported.
The next steps include making sure that rhetoric actually results in work being done.
Expanding trade, transport, and economic ties
Economic ties are a major focus, and trade reached almost $4 billion last year, the report said, adding that Syria and Turkey now hope to increase it to $10b.
The plans include joint industrial zones, increased Syrian employment, and production partnerships. Turkey has also supplied electricity to northern Syria, following an energy agreement signed in May 2025.
Transportation ties, including trucking and plans for more air links, are expanding as well. Road and transit operations through the Bab al-Hawa and al-Salama crossings have resumed around the clock, while a free zone and dry port have opened in Idlib, Syria.
These were key crossings during the civil war as well. In those days, they supplied refugees.
Fidan also emphasized Syria’s potential role as a regional trade and transportation hub, connecting Turkey and the Mediterranean with Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the Gulf states.
The growing relationship with Ankara comes as Damascus seeks closer ties with European countries and international companies. Shaibani met with Italian Foreign Ministry Secretary-General Riccardo Guariglia in Damascus on Sunday to discuss expanding bilateral cooperation.
Syria announced submarine cable between Tartous and Cyprus
Syria is reaching out to Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean. its Communications Ministry announced an agreement for the Ebla submarine cable between Tartous and Cyprus. The project, involving Syria’s telecommunications company, Cyprus’s Cyta, and US-based UNIFI Communications, is expected to enter service in early 2028.
The cable will initially provide 31 terabits per second of capacity, potentially expanding to 10 times that amount over time, SANA reported.
Overall, the agreements illustrate Damascus’s effort to move beyond years of isolation and link Syria’s economic recovery increasingly with Turkey, Europe, and international markets.
A US Chamber of Commerce delegation representing 50 companies and more than 80 participants is visiting Damascus this week. It is there for a series of ministerial meetings aimed at expanding economic ties between Syria and the US.
The visit marks the first US Chamber of Commerce mission to Syria and comes amid growing international business interest in the country.
Steve Lutes, the chamber’s vice president for Middle East Affairs, said the delegation represents companies from a variety of sectors, SANA reported.
The delegation had witnessed efforts by President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government to create an environment that welcomes business and foreign investment, the report said.