Turkish premier hopes for increased trade with Syria

Damascus - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that he hopes to see trade with Syria increase to 5 billion dollars annually. "The abolition of visa requirements between the two countries and the free trade zone agreement led to a rise in the volume of trade and we will work to increase this over the upcoming years to 5 billion dollars," Erdogan said during a visit to Damascus.

Trade between the two neighbors reached 1.8 billion dollars in 2008, according to official figures, up 50 per cent over the previous year. The free trade deal was signed in 2002.

In October, the countries canceled visa requirements and have seen relations relations warm in recent years, after nearly going to war a decade ago over Damascus' alleged support of Kurdish insurgents in Turkey.

President Bashar al-Assad of Syria held a public appearance with the visiting premier and was scheduled to meet Erdogan later for high level talks.

The Turkish premier, who also met with his Syrian counterpart Muhammad Naji al-Otari, was in Damascus for the first meeting of the Syrian-Turkish High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council.

He called the event an "historic day." The two countries are expected to sign more than 50 new agreements, mostly relating to economic cooperation.

The Turkish delegation includes the ministries of foreign affairs, justice, interior, health, transport, agriculture and energy.

Several hundred business people from both countries were attending a joint business forum to expand links.