Damascus, SANA- Dr. Ya’rub Badr, Minister of Transport, has met with Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu and his accompanying delegation to discuss ways of joint cooperation between the two countries in the fields of road and railway transport.
The two sides reviewed during the meeting, held Tuesday at the Ministry headquarters in Damascus, issues related to opportunities for strengthening relationships in transportation and logistics services, and establishing partnerships between Turkey and Syria in road and railway transport projects that serve the interests of both countries.
The two sides emphasized the importance of sharing expertise in transport projects, capacity development, and enhancing collaboration. They discussed technical contributions and support that Turkey can provide in these areas.
Dr. Badr highlighted the significance of the visit as a manifestation of Turkish support in the field of transportation, stressing the role of transportation as the backbone of the economy and life.
He expressed hope for measures that would contribute to restoring the brilliance of trade and transport exchanges between Syria and Turkey, fostering cooperation socially and economically, while increasing trade exchange between the two countries and also between Europe and the Arabian Gulf region through Turkey and Syria.
Dr. Badr also underlined the importance of easing the movement of people between the two countries, strengthening ties of friendship, and advancing the development of domestic transportation in Syria by benefiting from Turkey’s expertise.
Dr. Badr stressed the urgent priorities for improving transportation in Syria, such as developing road transport within cities to ensure better services for citizens who lack personal transportation, and finding solutions to enhance technical and administrative services directly affecting citizens.
He noted Turkey’s advancement in digital transformation, e-governance, and renewable energy in transportation, expressing hope for utilizing this progress in Syria, especially by reactivating railway transport between the two countries soon.
Dr. Badr shed light on several obstacles hindering the development of the Syrian transportation sector and its services, confirming there is a forward-looking vision to solve strategic issues, primarily restoring railway and road connections between Syria, Turkey, and beyond to Europe and the Gulf.
For his part, Uraloglu expressed Turkey’s readiness and willingness to compensate for missed opportunities in land, sea, and air transport cooperation with Syria by drafting a joint action plan or roadmap to achieve desired objectives, planning for the future, and bringing current agreements to fruition.
He expressed Turkey’s openness to cooperation and contributing to the development of Syria’s transport sector while keeping pace with global developments.
Uraloglu explained that Turkey is ready to transfer acquired expertise to the Syrian side, particularly in training, information-sharing, and expertise exchange, including hosting and sending delegations to and from Syria, to enhance the knowledge of both sides.
He added that further meetings with the Syrian side would take place to address various transportation-related issues and that Syria would be invited to participate in international conferences in Turkey to benefit from discussions about the transport sector. Additionally, he suggested benefiting from Turkey’s experience in establishing advanced vehicle inspection centers across all provinces.
Following the meeting, Ministers Badr and Uraloglu toured Hijaz Station in Damascus, affiliated with the General Organization for Hijaz Railway, where they inspected the current state of the station and its assets.
Manar Salameh/Ruaa al-Jazaeri
