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Damascus-Turkey Strategic Partnership
Turkey’s ambassador to Damascus, Noah Yılmaz, said his country and Syria are entering a new phase of strategic cooperation, describing relations as "very excellent" and saying the Turkish embassy in Damascus is the largest in the world for Turkey in terms of the number of diplomats.
“described the relations between his country and Syria as "very excellent"”
Yılmaz said the two sides are forming several committees to follow up on joint files and expressed an ambition to raise ties to the "strongest framework of relations in the region for the next 50 years with a strategic orientation."
He also described close cooperation in building Syrian state institutions, and said Turkish–Syrian relations are supported by "very great trust" in military cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries.
In the security file, Yılmaz recalled Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s phrase: "Syria’s security is Turkey’s security," and said major problems Turkey faced on the Syrian border before December 8, 2024—human trafficking, drugs, irregular migration, and terrorism—"vanished after the overthrow of the previous regime and the formation of the new government in Syria."
Erdogan Visit Timing
In a separate interview, Yılmaz told "Syria Now" that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had been planning to visit Damascus around April 21 of last year, but the outbreak of war and the closure of the airspace prevented it.
He said the date had not been finalized in Ankara and was "under discussion," adding that after field developments, the visit that was planned or being considered did not take place.
Yılmaz described Erdogan as a "Damascus lover," saying he has strong longing to visit and pray at the Umayyad Mosque, and quoting: "At present, there are only a very few things in the world that could make him happier than praying at the Umayyad Mosque."
The ambassador said the visit "will definitely happen" but that determining the date is not within his authority, predicting it will be announced by the Turkish presidency when it is planned.
He added that he hopes it will take place "before the end of this year," concluding with a wish for a scene of Erdogan and President al-Shaar walking side by side, "hand in hand."
Border Crossings and Trade
Yılmaz said the main problem in border crossings with Syria is that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party controls some crossings and closes them from the Turkish side due to "terror-related issues," while he confirmed that all crossings will be opened gradually with the achievement of a "Syria free of terrorism."
“expecting these crossings to be activated within three months”
He added that he expects these crossings to be activated within three months and described an initiative for a "dry port" in Idlib led by the chambers of commerce and Turkish commodity exchanges (TOBB) to resolve trade difficulties at the border.
On trade, Yılmaz said the current trade volume is "nothing" compared to future ambitions, and set a goal to reach $10 billion in the medium term through signing a free trade agreement and establishing joint industrial zones.
He also identified obstacles including the legal framework, the commercial framework, the financial framework, and laws remaining from the Assad regime, and said sanctions were lifted except one—"Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism."
In economic context, Yılmaz pointed to Turkey’s textile industry and its loss of competitive advantage in international markets, and said Syria needs to invest in the sector, calling for free trade agreements between the two countries as soon as possible to increase trade through joint industrial zones.