Syria resolution would boost exports from Gaziantep: EU envoy

GAZİANTEP

A resolution to the long-running war in Syria will boost the southeastern Turkish province of Gaziantep’s role as an exports hub to Gulf countries, according to Ambassador Christian Berger, the head of the EU delegation to Turkey.

“When a resolution is developed in Syria, Gaziantep will once again become a gate for exports to the Gulf and Arab countries,” Berger said on during a Nov. 20 visit to the province.

“Gaziantep is a gate to Syria. It is a gate to Jordan, and it is a gate to the Gulf countries to the south. However, the road to the Gulf countries is now closed because of the war in Syria,” he added at an event at the Gaziantep Chamber of Commerce (GTO).

The European Union also remains an important trade partner for Turkey, Berger said, adding that more than half of the country’s exports go to EU countries.

Negotiations to modernize an existing customs union deal between Turkey and the EU, covering services, the public sector, acquisitions and agriculture, will start soon, Berger said, describing a new deal as a “win-win situation.”

Also speaking at the event, GTO chair Beyhan Hıdıroğlu discussed the contribution of migrants to the local economy in Gaziantep.