Syria needs everything to take a new beginning, the Turkish minister of transportation and infrastructure said, adding that Türkiye has prepared an action plan for repairing and rebuilding the war-torn country’s airports, bridges, roads, and railways.
Syria has five airports, two of which have recently been operational, Damascus and Aleppo, Abdulkadir Uraloglu said at a press conference in the capital, Ankara, on Tuesday, noting that these airports require significant improvements.
Damascus Airport handled approximately 100,000 trips last year, while Aleppo managed between 50,000 and 60,000, the minister said, adding that a Turkish team checked airports and discovered that there is no radar system.
“There is an air radar application that we use on our mobile phones. imagine, they were trying to manage it from that mobile phone application,” he said.
Computers from the 1990s are still used at these airports, and there are no proper X-ray devices, detectors, or anything else, he explained.
He added that the runways are seriously aging and that the first flight to Damascus and Aleppo was entirely on the pilots’ initiative, in other words, without any system and under visual conditions.
“So our friends made a determination, and then we have put forward an action plan,” he said.
The minister said Türkiye will take action to revive Damascus Airport in the first phase.
He said, “There are parts of the railways that go from Türkiye to Hijaz; they have not been operated for a long time. we will quickly identify them and take a position to ensure the integrity of the railroad up to Damascus in the first place.
“We sent passenger trains there in 2009-2010. There is infrastructure there, but only in certain regions.”
However, in the past, some railway parts were stolen in certain regions, such as Iraq, and the same situation may be seen in Syria, he said.
Reminding the terror operations, he said, “Whether in the internal dynamics in Syria, the M4 and the M5 highways have always been discussed.
“In other words, a highway can have such an impact on the politics of a country.”
Türkiye is dealing with these roads, but Ankara has already done a lot of work, particularly on highways, the minister said.”I can say that we have done a lot of work there and repaired many destroyed bridges,” he underlined.
The minister said Syria is 20-30 years behind Türkiye in terms of communication, noting that cell phones are not used at many points.
Uraloglu pledged that “We will make the necessary determinations about these, and we will try to realize them as the ministry, as I said; everything is needed there.”
He said even though Syria was not able to print its own money, Russia has been printing for it.
“Right now, many countries in Africa are in a similar position; some developed countries are printing their money. at this point, Türkiye will support there.”
He acknowledged Syria’s strategic location as a gateway to the Mediterranean but noted that its ports are underdeveloped. “We will most likely make determined efforts to make specific investments there.
“Of course, a Maritime Jurisdiction Agreement, probably, so that we can protect our interests in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Blue Homeland; our relevant institutions will take a position there when the day comes.”
“In terms of trade,” the minister said, Damascus and Syria have a history. “We will do our best to revive it.”
Stating that such an agreement will increase the effectiveness and competence of both Syria and Türkiye, he said, “At the point of oil and hydrocarbon exploration there, taking into account international law, we will share or expand all kinds of authority as two countries.
“Of course, first of all, an authority needs to be established there. Look, the salaries of the civil servants there need to be paid.”
He also said there is a plan for armed groups to lay down their arms. “This will definitely be on the agenda, but it would not be very accurate to say that it is today’s agenda.”
