DAMASCUS - Turkey`s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the 1st Turkish-Syrian Economic Forum in Damascus on Saturday.
The forum was also attended by Erdogan`s Syrian counterpart Naji al-Utri.
Speaking at the forum, al-Utri said that "relations between Turkey and Syria increased in recent times. We want to develop relations with Turkey in the areas of soil improvement, natural gas pipeline and border trade".
"After having completed infrastructure works, our relations with Turkey developed in the fields of agriculture, irrigation, banking, customs and tourism. We call on Turkish entrepreneurs to make joint investments with their Syrian counterparts," al-Utri said.
"We are working to make the Turkish-Syrian border a center of global attraction. Once all land mines have been swept from Turkish-Syrian border, the region will gain more prominence," al-Utri also said.
Erdogan, on his part, said that the people of Syria and Turkey were two inseparable brothers.
"Terms like `friends` and `relatives` are not sufficient to describe the relations between the peoples of Syria and Turkey," Erdogan said.
"There were some disagreements between the two countries in the past. I am thankful to Turkey`s 10th President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Syrian President Bashar al-Asad, Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Syrian Prime Minister Naji al-Utri for overcoming disagreements in Turkish-Syrian relations," Erdogan said.
"We have submitted a draft law to Turkish parliament to sweep all mines from the Turkish-Syrian border. Once the mines are swept, the soil in this region will be used for the benefit of the peoples of both countries," Erdogan said.
"I believe that the new term began with Syria will bring fruitful results. Although there is an extremely busy agenda in Ankara, I could not refuse al-Utri`s invitation to Damascus," Erdogan noted.
"There is a political will in both sides to develop economic cooperation," Erdogan said.
"We pay high importance and attention to the development of Syria and the region. We closely observe Syria`s efforts for liberalization and appreciate this reality," Erdogan said.
"The trade volume between Turkey and Syria has reached 1.2 billion USD. We are working to increase our bilateral trade volume to 2 billion USD by the end of 2008," Erdogan said.
"Beginning with energy and transportation, there are important areas for investments in both countries," Erdogan stressed.
"The free trade agreement signed with Syria has contributed positively to commercial relations," Erdogan said.
Erdogan extended an invitation to al-Utri and expressed that the Turkish-Syrian forum`s next meeting should take place in Turkey in 2009.
"We wish for peace and stability in the region and these two are interrelated. I hope that the forum will be beneficial for our peoples," Erdogan also said.
Prime Minister Erdogan also met Syrian President Bashar al-Asad on Saturday in a meeting that lasted nearly 1.5 hours. Al-Asad hosted a luncheon in honor of Erdogan following the meeting between Turkish and Syrian delegations.
Erdogan`s meeting with al-Asad was closed to the press.
(SOL-GC)