In this context, it is planned to establish a Turkish economy city in the middle of Syria. It is suggested that the commodities to be produced there be exported to both Europe and Arab countries.

Syria’s Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Economy Abdullah Dardari was in Ankara as a guest of Minister of the State in charge of Coordination of Economy and Deputy Prime Minister Nazım Ekren. Minister Ekren said in a meeting attended by the Minister of Energy Hilmi Güler, Transportation Minister Binali Yıldırım, Minister of Environment and Forestry Veysel Eroğlu as well as senior bureaucrats, announced that cooperation is to be launched in the relations of both countries in banking, financial markets, Administration of GAP as well as sharing of the experiences of the State Planning Organization (DPT). Ekren, reported they would negotiate what they should do to make the process which was initiated as a result of the previous contacts more concrete and higher quality and told the foreign trade of two countries began to have a surplus in favor of Turkey after 2004, that Turkish businessmen had investments in Syria up approximately to 200 million dollars. Syrian Deputy Prime Minister Dardari also answered the questions of the journalists. He replied a question on Egyptian natural gas pipeline project that its first stage of 314 kilometers was complete and to be launched in a few months, and the second stage of 62 kilometers between Halep and Turkey was to be put to tender.  The guest minister revealed the project would be over by mid-2009. Minister of Energy Hilmi Güler expressed the pipes were at the stage of construction for completion of the 96-kilometer stage of the line on Turkish part and a meeting will be held between Egypt, Turkey, Syria and Jordan in the coming days to have the last word.

Dardari summarized "The levels of the relations between the two countries allow starting of implementation. This visit is one for implementation. It has less of protocol.", and said they first aimed development of air, marine, land and railroads to constitute the substructure of the relations between the two countries. The Minister imparted that they wanted to establish a Turkish industrial city and a common bank in Syria. Dardari told that the two countries would cooperate on financial markets, and noted that a cooperation program is to be followed for development of GAP Administration and the areas near the Turkish border. The guest minister will also see President of the Republic Abdullah Gül and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara. Dardari will participate in the meeting to be arranged by Foreign Economic Relations Council (DEIK) in Istanbul on Friday.

Source: Zaman Newspaper / Ercan Baysal