Türkiye lifts restrictions on Syrian imports: Media
DAMASCUS
Türkiye has lifted restrictions on Syrian imports, Syria’s state news agency SANA quoted Mazen Alloush, Director of Relations at the Syrian General Authority for Land and Sea Ports, as saying on Feb. 11, after discussions with Turkish Trade Ministry.
Türkiye and Syria, under the new Syrian administration, have agreed to re-evaluate customs tariffs for certain products and to start negotiations to re-enact a free trade agreement suspended in 2011, when war began in Syria.
Recently, Turkish Trade Minister Ömer Bolat said that trade between Türkiye and Syria gained momentum at the start of the new year, with Turkish exports to Syria rising by 35.5 percent year-on-year to reach $219 million as of Jan. 25.
Bolat emphasized that the new administration in Syria is working in “close cooperation” with Türkiye, expressing optimism for progress in trade, investments, and reconstruction efforts.
The minister noted that during the Syrian revolution, essential goods such as food and construction materials were largely exempt from customs duties. However, the new administration introduced changes on Jan. 11, revising 6,302 customs duties as part of a broader shift toward a unified customs policy aimed at boosting revenue.
“While customs duties on some items increased in northern Syria, others saw reductions. However, we have identified a disinformation campaign in certain reports falsely claiming that the new administration imposed higher duties on Turkish products compared to those from Arab countries,” Bolat said.
He clarified that the adjustments were made to address public expenditure needs and were not specifically targeted at Türkiye.
“We advised that reducing duties on basic necessities would help curb inflation. As a result, Syria announced it would lower duties on 269 products, including milk, eggs, flour, iron, steel, and plastic items,” Bolat explained.
