Syria and Turkey have signed a memorandum on resuming road traffic between the countries and simplifying the transit of goods through each other’s territory, the Syrian General Directorate of Land and Sea Ports announced on Monday.
This step will not only promote the growth of freight traffic between Syria and Turkey, but will also connect the Persian Gulf countries to the Middle Transport Corridor (Trans-Caspian route), thus providing a land route between the Middle East and Europe.
“The Directorate has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, according to which road traffic between the countries will be restored and the passage of trucks and transit of goods will be simplified,” the Syrian General Directorate of Land and Sea Ports said in a statement distributed by local TV channel Al-Ikhbaria.
As specified by Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, the signed document stipulates that land transport between Syria and Turkey will be carried out in accordance with the agreement signed in 2004. This means that cargo from Syria can be imported directly to Turkey and vice versa, without transhipment at the border.
Middle East tensions
“The resumption of transport between Turkey and Syria will strengthen the position of the countries in regional trade not only between the two countries, but also between Europe and Asia, while integrating the Middle Corridor with the Persian Gulf countries,” the Turkish representative emphasised.
The Middle Corridor runs from the border of Kazakhstan with China to the Caspian Sea, and from there through Azerbaijan and Georgia to Turkey and the EU countries.
Thus, the agreement between Turkey and Syria will provide the Persian Gulf countries with land links not only to Europe but also to Asian countries, which is particularly relevant given the situation in the Middle East, where, in the event of another escalation, Iran could block the Strait of Hormuz, which provides the countries of the Arabian Peninsula (Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and part of the UAE) access to the world’s oceans.
