Turkey aiming for maritime agreement with Syria, transport minister says

Turkey is aiming to strike a maritime demarcation agreement with Syria after a permanent government is formed in Damascus, Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said on Tuesday.

Turkey, which backed Syrian opposition forces who toppled President Bashar al-Assad this month after a 13-year civil war, has been in close contact with the new interim administration of its neighbor, including Turkey’s intelligence chief and foreign minister meeting with de-facto Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week said Ankara would improve ties with Syria including in trade, energy and defense.

Turkey is also planning to start negotiations with the new Syrian administration on a possible maritime demarcation agreement, Transport Minister Uraloglu told reporters.