Turkey Says Suspension of Free Trade Pact will Harm Syrians
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Syria is punishing its own people by suspending a free trade agreement with Turkey in retaliation for Turkish sanctions against the Damascus regime, the Turkish economy minister said Sunday.
By cutting off bilateral trade, "the Syrian government punishes its own people, industrialists, exporters and entrepreneurs," Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan said in a statement carried by the state-run Anatolia news agency.
Damascus decided last week to suspend the 2004 trade pact after Turkey, one of Syria's closest economic partners, followed in the footsteps of the Arab League in announcing a series of sanctions on the Syrian regime of President Bashar Assad for its months-long crackdown on anti-regime protesters that has claimed more than 4,000 lives according to the United Nations.
Among the measures, Ankara froze trade and severed links between the two countries' central banks.
Turkey has a trade surplus with Syria, exporting goods worth a total of $1.8 billion (1.3 billion euros) to its neighbor in 2010, while imports from Syria were $663 million, accounting for only 0.3 percent of Turkey's total imports, Caglayan said.
However, 10.6 percent of Syria's total imports are from Turkey, he added.
"Suspending the agreement means ... Syria will be exposed to economic problems more, as it already suffers from procurement issues," Caglayan said.
The free trade agreement, reached after long negotiations, marked a thaw in bilateral relations.
The deal was followed in 2009 by the creation of a joint panel tasked with forging closer ties.
04 December 2011, 14:09
21
Minister of Trade better thinks about traders, industrialists and businessmen in Turkey, that will be losing billions in coming years. He better think about already deteriorating situation in Hatay, where people will revolt soon if Syria keeps its borders closed.so first think of yourself then lecture us
04 December 2011, 16:18
10
من يطالع أخبار الصحف اليوم من مشرقها إلى مغربها وبكل اللغات... تصل إليه رسالة واضحة أن النظام السوري في آخر أيامه. من يتابع التطورات على الأرض من الأرض أو عبر محطات التلفزة (غير السورية) يصل إلى ذات النتيجة
معقول بشار والمعلم وهـ الشلة ما عندون إنترنت وتلفزيون وأرض؟
04 December 2011, 18:30
13
It will definitely hurt the people first, but in the end it will strangle ASSad and his mother.
05 December 2011, 03:58
21
you bozos have been syaing game over for the past 9 months. Maybe it will be game over for you too after him; It will be the same salafis and muslim brotherhood that will bring your end.
05 December 2011, 09:55
01
@arzz
I guess you did not get it... the game has been over for assas for a few months now. The fact that he is in "power" does not mean that the game is still on.
He is not recognised by almost all the countries of the world, his regime is under all imaginable sanctions, their assets have been frozen all around the globe, the regime is being asphixiated economically, the Arab league put sanctions on the regime, etc...
If you think that he can one day regain his position (on the international platform) as if all this never happened...well...you're delusional!
05 December 2011, 10:23
01
Regarding the Muslim Brothers, kindly note that NOTHING could be worse than what we endured with Assad's regime.
The Muslim Brothers are not our favorite option that's for sure, but how worse can it be!?
Anyhow, I believe in people's free will... they might go for the muslims brothers for a decade, and then evolve slowly...
05 December 2011, 15:13
01
WoW! You sure have time to lose…
Have I talked about the Syrian opposition’s recognition??
I am just saying that Bashar is not recognized as legitimate anymore.
I also believes in freewill…good..or bad… I believe in the freedom of the people to choose their regime through free elections weather the result suits me…or not!
I reject totalitarism under the pathetic pretext that it protects minorities, especially when this regime is a very small minority itself!
Now, if you call keeping millions in the dark, bombing Hama with planes and eliminating tens of thousands, having secret services around all corners, no free elections, arrest intellectuals and all voices raised “a protection of minorities”…well…hahaha.. Wake up, have a shower (oh man that smell) and see how the world is evolving! Perfect harmony huh! Good one ya sweat! Thank you for the pathetic show !
PS: I do prefer suits and ties ;-) But you can keep your dishdashi…
