A decade ago, the Turkish military was on the Syrian border. Both Middle Eastern nations were not a war both tensions hampered cooperative relations. Tensions due to Syrian claims over the Hatay Turkish region which is populated by Arabs and has only handed over to Turkey in 1939 under French Mandate rule in Syria. And tensions over alleged Syrian support for separatist Kurdish PKK rebels which had been conducting terrorist and rebellion attacks inside Turkey.
But all that was a history far away earlier this month as the Turkish president and several Turkish cabinet members traveled to Syria and met their counterparts. They then jointly crossed the Syrian-Turkish border and continued the conference in a Turkish city.
Turkey pledged to work alongside Syria to build a “common fate” that will enrich the region and make the Middle East once again a great civilization. In recent years, Turkey has become a major presence in the region. Trade between Turks and the Arabs now tops $31 billion and Turkey is becoming a diplomatic heavyweight. Syria is no exception to that rule.
Both nations signed 40 treaties - that include visa-free travel between nations, counter-terrorism, Syria ceding claims to Hayat, and agreement for joint military exercises.
Furthermore, Turkey has stated that work will begin goodwill projects in Syria:
The defense ministries agreed to draft at least three projects by the end of October, and energy officials agreed to complete the natural gas project connecting an Arab pipeline with a Turkish pipeline in the next 18 months, the Anatolian Agency reported.
And a “friendship dam” is also planned. Such co-project, trade, travel and military cooperation is mutually beneficial.
Both nations benefit from such a partnership not only in trade terms and in cementing peace in the region, but for expanding their diplomatic weight. Turkey is already influential, but Syria has been isolated in the world. A Syrian partnership with Turkey will aid Syria’s efforts to reintegrate into the world economy.
