Turkey and Syria aim to triple their annual trade volume to three billion dollars (2.35 billion euros), the head of a Turkish business delegation said Thursday after meeting with visiting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
"The amount of trade between our two countries does not exceed one billion dollars, I think that it could go up to three billion dollars thanks to our common efforts," Rifat Hisarciklioglu, head of the union of Turkish chambers of commerce and trade associations said.
Hisarciklioglu said Assad, along with his vice minister for economy Ghassab Abash had met with the businessmen, promising them he would lower the barriers preventing them from investing in and exporting to Syria.
"We were delighted to learn that all the bureaucratic difficulties will from here on out be dealt with by one centre, and to learn that Turkish businesses will receive priority concerning state contracts," he added.
This is the first time a Syrian president is paying a visit to Turkey - the two neighbours were on the verge of a war just five years ago when Ankara accused Damascus of sheltering Kurdish rebels fighting against Turkey.