Tomorrow, Trade Minister Ömer Bolat, along with the heads of business umbrella organizations, will head to Syria for commercial negotiations. The visit aims to address trade, customs, transportation, investment, and energy topics between Turkey and Syria in an official visit to Damascus. The visit scheduled for April 16-17 will involve business people, chamber, and union presidents. Discussions are planned to strengthen cooperation in Syria’s economic development in the new phase, enhance communication and relations among economic actors of both countries, and increase interagency coordination in preparations for the construction of a free Syria. Various topics such as trade, customs, transportation, investment, finance, banking, contracting, and energy will be discussed during the visit, where Bolat will engage in bilateral and delegation-level meetings with counterparts. Bolat will hold meetings with Syrian Economy Minister Nidal Shaar, Syrian Finance Minister Muhammad Yusr Berniyye, Syrian Transport Minister Yarub Bedir, and the Director-General of Syrian Ports Authority Kuteybe Ahmed Bedevi. The visit will include bilateral meetings between Turkish business leaders and Syrian entrepreneurs to explore new business opportunities. An Business Forum and a Roundtable Meeting will also be held during the visit. In the meeting with Syrian Economy Minister Shaar, discussions will focus on the roadmap of a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement that will boost economic and trade relations between the two countries. The meeting with Berniyye will cover Turkey’s possible contributions to enhancing Syria’s economic institutional infrastructure, cooperation in lifting sanctions on the country, improving banking infrastructure, and the reconstruction of Syria. Additionally, the meeting with Transport Minister Bedir will delve into strengthening transportation relations between Turkey and Syria, strengthening logistical ties, and exploring partnership possibilities in transportation projects contributing to regional development. Discussions with Kuteybe Ahmed Bedevi will address enhancing and modernizing customs gates between Turkey and Syria, additional expectations of the private sector regarding current customs duties, and strengthening cooperation in the customs area. Minister Bolat’s visit to Damascus will play a crucial and determining role in identifying the dynamics of economic and trade relations between Turkey and Syria. Following the overthrow of the Ba’ath regime on December 8 in Syria, intense trade diplomacy has been conducted with the new administration. As part of this, the Ministry of Trade reopened the Yayladağı Customs Gate for passage on December 9, 2024, which had been closed for years, and handed over the management of Syrian customs administrations on the Syrian side to the new Syrian interim government as of January 1. Deputy Trade Minister Mustafa Tuzcu and an accompanying delegation traveled to Damascus on January 23 to hold a series of meetings with Syrian counterparts, resulting in reductions in taxes on certain products. On February 8, restrictions on customs services provided in trade between Turkey and Syria during the previous regime were lifted. Finally, Turkey increased the staff of the Damascus Commercial Council and the Aleppo Commercial Attaché to four, appointing ministry representatives.