Trade disruptions are mounting at Turkey’s border with Syria due to prolonged delays, heightened bureaucracy, and significant tariff increases, as Damascus implements a new strategy to harmonize customs rates nationwide.
On January 11, Syrian authorities announced a sweeping overhaul of import duties, raising tariffs by at least 300 percent. This initiative aims to eliminate the previous system where border crossings, previously managed either by the Assad regime or various rebel factions, applied differing customs fees.
Turkish media reports indicate that business leaders are voicing concerns over these new regulations, which they say are crippling cross-border trade, squeezing profit margins, and potentially fueling inflation within Syria.
The stricter customs checks accompanying the new tariffs have led to significant bottlenecks, with Turkish traders reporting truck queues stretching up to six kilometers at some crossing points. At times, over 3,000 trucks are said to be waiting on the Turkish side of the border.
Despite Damascus’s goal to establish a unified customs system, inconsistencies remain across border posts. Exporters have reported that, even six weeks after the Assad regime’s removal, differing tariffs and regulations persist at various crossings between Turkey and Syria.
Fikret Kileci, the coordinator chairman of the Southeast Anatolian Exporters Associations, acknowledged the challenges in an interview with AGBI. He urged patience, emphasizing that restoring order would be a gradual process.
“This will take time,” he said, reflecting on Damascus’s efforts to bring consistency to the system. “It isn’t the case that peace comes today and tomorrow there is order. We have seven separate border crossings with Syria where each had different rules and different customs tariffs were applied. This will become regulated but it needs time.”
While Kileci partially attributed the trade disruptions to the new customs duties, he also pointed to a lack of regional familiarity among certain businesses. Many companies, eager to seize perceived opportunities in the post-conflict environment, grow frustrated when faced with logistical challenges.
“This is not Germany, the UK or the US, this is the Middle East, and it has its own unique rules,” he noted. “These businesses should be patient.”
Kileci expressed optimism about the region’s future, highlighting its potential as a major hub for production and commerce. He suggested that Syria’s reconstruction and broader regional stabilization could open new opportunities for businesses, particularly in southeastern Turkey, which could serve as a gateway for trade with Syria, Iraq, and beyond.
“The issues will be resolved somehow. And the re-building of not only Syria but the whole Middle East, Turkey, and especially Turkey’s southeast Anatolian region, will come to the fore and many business areas will be opened up,” Kileci added.
As stability returns, Kileci noted that prudent investors could capitalize on emerging opportunities, cementing Turkey’s southeastern region as a critical node in Middle Eastern trade and development.