ANKARA: Turkiye is expanding and upgrading several customs crossings along its border with Syria to increase capacity, improve infrastructure and accommodate growing trade ahead of Syria’s reconstruction phase.
The country’s Trade Ministry is carrying out the projects to expand border facilities and construct service buildings, Anadolu Agency reported.
Expansion work at the Yayladagi crossing in Hatay province, opposite the Bab Al-Hawa crossing, was about 33 percent complete during the first seven months of 2026.
HIGHLIGHT
The projects come amid growing economic ties and cross-border trade between Syria and Turkiye, with preparations underway to expand commercial activity and improve transport links as Syria moves through recovery and reconstruction
The facility is being expanded from 17 to 23 dunums, while the number of lanes will double from two to four.
At the Akcakale crossing, opposite Tal Abyad, mines have been cleared from 24 dunums of land belonging to Turkiye’s Defense Ministry.
The Trade Ministry has allocated an additional 59 dunums for the expansion and modernization of the crossing.
Planning and construction work is also continuing on a service building at the Oncupinar crossing, opposite Bab Al-Salama, while the area of the Cobanbey crossing, opposite Al-Rai, is being expanded from 21 to 71 dunums.
At the Karkamis crossing, opposite Jarablus in the Aleppo countryside, construction of permanent service buildings has begun alongside plans to expand the facility from 15 to 90 dunums.
Infrastructure and other construction work has been completed at the Nusaybin crossing, opposite Qamishli.
The crossing is expected to become operational if a customs point opens in Qamishli.
The projects come amid growing economic ties and cross-border trade between Syria and Turkiye, with preparations underway to expand commercial activity and improve transport links as Syria moves through recovery and reconstruction.
Syria’s General Authority for Land and Sea Ports and Customs announced on July 27 that construction and rehabilitation work had begun at the Bab Al-Salama crossing to improve services, facilitate the movement of passengers and goods, and upgrade infrastructure.
The project is part of a broader Syrian program to rehabilitate border crossings and improve their operational capacity.
Border crossings with Turkiye serve as important trade and transport links between the two countries, connecting Syrian markets to Turkiye and Europe.
Their expansion is expected to increase the movement of goods, as well as improve customs clearance and transport capacity as economic activity grows.
