Hatay: The direct road transport between Trkiye and Syria has restarted after a 13-year pause, announced Trkiye's transport minister. "After a 13-year hiatus, direct international road transport between Trkiye and Syria has resumed. Yesterday, four trucks passed through the Cilvegozu Border Gate, traveling from Mersin to Aleppo, and three trucks from Idlib to Mersin," Abdulkadir Uraloglu stated.
According to Anadolu Agency, Uraloglu noted that road transport between the two countries had been carried out in transit for some time. The transportation operations in Syria came to a complete halt due to the civil unrest that began in 2011. For years, cargo at the border crossing was transported through transshipment.
The minister explained that they initiated the process to resume transportation following developments in Syria in December 2024. A memorandum of understanding on road transportation was signed with Syria at the Global Transport Corridors Forum in Istanbul from June 27-29. A technical meeting was held at the Cilvegozu Border Gate on July 9 to determine the conditions for passage, and this process has now been initiated in the field.
Uraloglu also highlighted that with the resumption of transportation, vehicles with Turkish and Syrian license plates can now reach their destinations directly, eliminating the need for cargo transfer at the border. "Comparing August 2024 to August 2025, there was a 50% increase in our transportation to Syria. This trend will continue to increase. With the reopening of the Syria route, transportation from cities like Hatay, Gaziantep, and Mersin to Jordan and Saudi Arabia will become faster. This step will invigorate not only our exporters but also the regional economy," he added.
The decision to resume direct road transport comes in the wake of the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime last December. Assad, Syria's leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in December, ending the Ba'ath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963. A new transitional administration led by Ahmad al-Sharaa was formed in January.