Ankara,(SANA)_ Syria and Turkey signed on Tuesday 11 cooperation documents in various fields at the end of the Second Meeting of the Syrian-Turkish High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council in Ankara under the co-chairmanship of Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Naji Otri and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The signed documents included the following:
1. Agreement on Joint Cooperation against Terrorism and Terrorist Organizations between the Turkish government and the Syrian government.
2. Memorandum of Understanding between Turkish Eximbank and the Syrian State Planning Commission.
3. Cooperation Agreement between the Turkish government and the Syrian government on Social Services and Protection of Children.
4. Memorandum of Understanding in the Field of the Development of the Syrian General Directorate of Real Estate between the Turkish Ministry of Public Works and Settlement of Government and the Syrian Ministry of Local Administration.
5. Draft Executive Program on Cooperation between the Syrian Ministry of Housing and Construction and the Turkish Ministry of Housing and Public Services.
6. Executive Program of Cooperation Agreement in the Field of Labor, Employment and Social Security between the Syrian Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor and the Turkish Ministry of Labor and Social Security.
7. Memorandum of Understanding between Syria and Turkey on Cooperation in Electricity Generation and Distribution and Renewable Energies.
8. First Executive Program of the Cooperation Agreement in Environment.
9. Draft Memorandum of Understanding between the Council of Monetary and Credit at the Central Bank of Syria and the Turkish Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency.
10. Work Plan for 2011 for Implementing the Memorandum of Understanding on Technical Help and Cooperation between the Syrian State Planning Commission and the Development Bank of Turkey signed on October 30, 2010.
11. Declaration of Intent on Cooperation in the Field of Geographical Coverage for Insured Vehicles of both countries between the Syrian Ministry of Finance and the Turkish Undersecretary of Treasury.
At the beginning of his speech at the Meeting, Prime Minister Otri said "What is between Syria and Turkey goes beyond a friendship between two neighboring countries to the level of deep fraternity and real partnership...Our meeting today reflects the will that calls upon us to build a solid ground and extend bridges to enhance communication and strategic cooperation between our countries."
He added that the level reached by the Syrian-Turkish relations and what has been achieved with regard to cancelling visas and signing an agreement on establishing free trade zone, in addition to the joint use of border crossings, have broadened the economic and investment partnerships between both sides.
Otri indicated that the Turkish investments in Syria have reached about USD 700 millions carried out by more than 139 Turkish companies, as the volume of trade exchange hit USD 2.5 billions in 2010, and the tourist movement has also witnessed a considerable progress.
He added that until October, 2010, more than 1 million and 189 thousand tourists visited Syria coming from Turkey, of whom 698,000 were Turks, while the number of the Syrians who traveled to Turkey in the same period amounted to 748,000.
For his part, Premier Erdogan stressed that the Syrian-Turkish relations have reached an exemplary level and achieved fruitful and tangible outcomes in economy, trade and tourism beefing up the social bonds between the two brotherly countries.
He stressed the importance of assessing the cooperation relations and developing a follow up mechanism to carry out the signed agreements in the framework of equal cooperation and balanced interests to empower the economy of both countries.
Later, the two Premiers held a press conference summarizing the outcomes of the Council's meeting and stressing the importance of the agreements and memos of understanding signed between the two sides and their role in boosting bilateral cooperation to meet the will of the two countries' leaderships and aspirations of both peoples.
They pointed out that the two sides decided on the implementation in the immediate future of the following joint cooperation projects:
1. Laying the ground for the construction of Joint Border Gate at Nusaybin-Qamishli Crossing on 26th of January 2011.
2. Laying the ground for the building of joint Friendship Dam on the Orontes River before the end of January 2011.
3. Establishment of a joint Syrian-Turkish bank to facilitate the trade and investment between the two countries in 2011.
4. Development of a joint project for the high-speed train services between Gaziantep and Aleppo in 2011.
5. Completion of the interconnection of natural gas pipeline networks of the two countries in 2011.
6. Completion of provision of a credit line by the Turkish Exim Bank to the Syrian government worth 180 million Euros (equivalent to US 250 million) in accordance with the memorandum of understanding signed to finance the specified projects in Syria which will be undertaken by the Turkish companies.
© SANA (Syria Arab News Agency) 2010
