Syria-Turkey trade grows 16% in first seven months of 2026
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – Trade between Syria and Turkey grew 16 percent during the first seven months of 2026, following a 45 percent increase in 2025, Turkish Trade Minister Ömer Bolat said on Thursday.
Bolat made the remarks after attending the opening of a new truck waiting area at the Cilvegözü border crossing in southern Turkey’s Hatay province, alongside Qutaiba Ahmed Badawi, head of Syria’s General Authority for Border Crossings and Customs.
Bolat added that relations between Damascus and Ankara were developing rapidly, adding that expanding economic and trade cooperation could improve living conditions in both countries.
He described Syria as strategically important to Turkey as a transit route to markets in the Gulf and North Africa, while turkey serves as a gateway for Syria to Europe, Western countries and the Caucasus.
Bolat and Badawi, accompanied by officials from both sides, also toured the buffer zone inside the crossing to review operations.
Trade and economic ties between Syria and Turkey have expanded since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024, with Damascus and Ankara moving to strengthen cross-border commerce, transportation and other economic links.