06.08.2026 14:30
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced the major project that will boost regional trade at a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart, Esad Hassan al-Shaibani. With the project, whose details were shared following the memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries, an uninterrupted road and railway line will be established connecting Turkey, Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan announced a giant transportation project that will change regional balances at a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani. Details of the road and railway project that will connect four countries were shared with the public.
STRATEGIC MEETING AND MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING IN ANKARA Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan hosted Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, who came to Ankara for official contacts, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Following the critical inter-delegation talks and the memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries, a joint press conference was held. At the meeting, the course of bilateral relations, the regional security architecture, and economic integration steps were comprehensively discussed, while Minister Fidan emphasized the strategic cooperation between Türkiye and Syria.
LOGISTICS LINE CONNECTING FOUR COUNTRIES The most striking agenda item of the meeting was the giant transportation project that will boost regional trade. Minister Fidan shared the details of the highway and railway project that will seamlessly connect Türkiye, Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. It was emphasized that the project, which aims to elevate regional economic integration to the highest level, will both increase the security of trade corridors and bring new vitality to logistics routes in the Middle East.
Highlights from Minister Fidan's statements; "The positive picture in Syria is a result of our joint efforts that we have implemented together with an understanding of regional ownership. As we have occasionally emphasized before, it is not possible for us to see the welfare and stability of Türkiye and Syria separately. Between us, there is not just a border of over 900 kilometers, but a shared history, a shared culture, and a shared future. When Damascus, Aleppo, and Hama become richer and safer, we immediately feel this in Gaziantep, Mersin, and Istanbul. Likewise, activities that disrupt stability in any corner of Syria also pose a threat to Türkiye. With this understanding, we will further deepen our cooperation and coordination in the fields of counter-terrorism, defense, and security. Completing the ongoing integration process in Syria without interruption remains important and a priority for our country. The integration of all armed elements and so-called structures under a central and legitimate national framework is essential for Syria's unity and our region's stability.
QUADRUPLE LOGISTICS LINE Dear members of the press, we are developing our economic relations with Syria in line with the needs of the new era. To increase our bilateral trade volume, facilitating customs procedures, increasing the capacity of border gates, starting to operate banking channels, and harmonizing our transportation infrastructures are currently among our priorities; our teams are working on these. Our public institutions and private sector are also working to contribute to Syria's reconstruction, the development of its energy infrastructure, and the rehabilitation of its transportation system. We assess that regional projects will also play an important role in this regard. To give a concrete example in this context; the road and railway connectivity initiative we have launched between Türkiye, Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia is extremely important in this respect. We have begun work to implement this strategic initiative as soon as possible, and we will continue as a result of the decision taken by our leaders.
TURKISH SCHOOL OPENING IN DAMASCUS Many concrete projects in our bilateral relations are progressing rapidly. They have completed the permit processes for opening a Turkish School in Damascus; we thank them here. We aim to have this school ready for the new academic year. Efforts have also accelerated for the establishment of the Türkiye-Syria Joint University. The health sector is one of the areas where we work most intensively with Syria. Along with numerous hospital projects, we are working to build Syria's health infrastructure. As you know, the memorandum of understanding in this field was signed during our Minister of Health's visit to Syria in June. We are also trying to contribute to Syria's integration into the global financial system. Allowing the Central Bank of Syria to open a Turkish Lira account at our Central Bank constitutes a very important step in this regard. In the coming period, we are implementing new projects in line with the goal of further advancing Türkiye-Syria relations.
"WE HOPE FOR THE OPENING OF THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ" At today's meeting, we also, of course, had the opportunity to discuss regional issues. We are, of course, pleased with the statements regarding the possibility of returning to negotiations between America and Iran. We hope that a ceasefire will be restored as soon as possible and the Strait of Hormuz will be opened. We will continue our contributions on this matter. At this point, we continue to support the talks. On this occasion, we would like to underline one point: Syria has emerged as a country that contributed to maintaining stability in our region throughout the war; this should be particularly noted. Therefore, preserving Syria's security and tranquility is a shared responsibility for all of us as regional countries.
"ISRAELI GOVERNMENT SABOTAGES PEACE EFFORTS" On the other hand, Israel's attacks targeting Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity are among the most serious threats to the country's stability. The international community must respond more strongly against Israel's occupier mentality. It should apply the necessary pressure to ensure compliance with the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement and respect for Syria's sovereignty.
Dear friends, with my esteemed colleague, we also comprehensively discussed the situation in Palestine and Lebanon. As you know, Lebanon is their neighbor; everything happening there closely concerns them, and it also concerns us. It was announced by the American President, Mr. Trump, that an agreement was reached on the roadmap for the second phase of the Peace Plan. Israel's continued attacks despite this have once again demonstrated that Netanyahu does not want peace. The Israeli government aims to sabotage peace efforts and detach Palestinians from Gaza. This goal has not changed; they are trying to turn Gaza, if possible, into a place without Palestinians, a place where they cannot live. However, Netanyahu will not succeed in this policy; Gazans will continue to live in Gaza and build their future.
Indeed, against the occupying Israeli forces stand the brave Palestinians who defend their homeland and the international community, which is gradually coming to understand the truth. At this point, there is no option other than making the ceasefire in Gaza permanent, moving to the second phase of the peace plan, and initiating the reconstruction process. On the other hand, we see that the Netanyahu government is also intensifying its terrorist acts in the West Bank and Jerusalem. As you know, we held an important meeting in Amman yesterday. There, with the participation of nearly 20 countries from the Islamic world, we discussed the collective measures that can be taken against Israel's aggressive actions targeting the Al-Aqsa Mosque.