Ministers Meet in Gaziantep
Syria's economy and industry minister and Turkey's commerce minister met in the southern Turkish province of Gaziantep on 9 June 2026, leading delegations of officials and business representatives from both countries.
The talks centered on expanding bilateral trade, opening new investment, and building organized production and trade zones along the shared border.
A $10 Billion Trade Target
Annual trade between the two countries currently exceeds $3 billion in US dollars (USD). The Turkish side set a near-term goal of $5 billion and a longer target of $10 billion by the early 2030s.
Both governments presented the increase as achievable through closer industrial cooperation and smoother customs procedures, framing it as a phased expansion stretching over several years rather than a single agreement.
Border Crossings to Reopen
Turkey signaled readiness to open the Nusaybin border crossing, while a railway crossing at Islahiye, linking Gaziantep with Syrian territory, is expected to open soon. Work to modernize existing crossings is already under way.
Reopening rail and road links is intended to cut the cost and time of moving goods, a practical bottleneck for traders on both sides of the frontier.
Aleppo and Gaziantep Lead
The push is anchored in the neighboring industrial hubs of Aleppo and Gaziantep, whose provincial officials and chambers of commerce joined the talks. Planners want to knit the two cities into a single cross-border manufacturing corridor.
Discussion also covered establishing organized production and trade zones between the two cities, so that components and finished goods can move predictably between the markets.
Call for Turkish Banks
The Syrian minister described Turkey as "a natural partner" and urged Turkish banks to establish a presence inside Syria, citing what he called a promising investment climate.
The Turkish minister pledged "support for Damascus in all fields," tying the trade push to broader economic cooperation between the two governments.